


Jude Porter and the Chamber of Monsters

by Gamer_AlchemistZ, White_Lightning



Series: Jude Porter Series [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-06-23
Packaged: 2018-03-11 23:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 22,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3336170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamer_AlchemistZ/pseuds/Gamer_AlchemistZ, https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Lightning/pseuds/White_Lightning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starting his 3rd year at Hogwarts with James and Emma, Jude knows that it's not going to be easy. What with new classes and Lazarus still after him, nothing is going to be simple anymore. All he can really count on are his friends and quidditch. It would also help him immensely if these stupid creatures didn't pop out of nowhere all the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Quidditch World Cup

Jude Porter and the Chamber of Monsters

Two months had passed since school had ended, but in Jude's mind, it felt like two years. Hannah and Neville did put restrictions on him; which meant no quidditch practicing in his free time and no contacting his friends for a month. He was just glad they didn't ban him from going to the world cup with the Potters, Weasleys, and Emma. That would've broken his fragile heart.

He was still waiting for the day to come. The tickets had said sometime in late August, and each day that passed he could feel his body shake in anticipation. And so, after waiting and waiting, the day before the world cup finally came.

Which meant Emma was coming to sleep over.

"Jude," Hannah called from the stairs, breaking the boy's concentration on the spell he was currently reading about. "Emma's here for you."

Jude perked up, setting his wand on his nightstand quickly and bolting out of his room. He grinned when he saw his red haired best friend, "Emma, hey! Come on up."

Emma smiled at him before thanking Hannah and following her friend up the stairs. Jude fell back on his bed once they both entered. He grinned once more, "Welcome to my humble abode. I know it's not much to you, but…" His grin softened as he gazed around his room. "It's home to me."

"It's fine," Emma replied with a wave of her hand. "I'm not gonna judge you on your room, Jude. You're my best friend and friends don't do that."

"That's good," He murmured before grabbing the book he had been reading. "I've been catching up on some spells since Hannah and Neville grounded me. They didn't let me practice on my broomstick so I didn't really have much to do."

She groaned, sitting on his bed with him, "Tell me about it. Mum and Dad don't let me practice either. As much as they love me and accept me being a witch, they don't really want me flying all around the backyard."

He frowned, "That just sucks." He stretched, lying back on his pillows. "So for the sleeping arrangements; do you want to get another room, or you can take my bed while I sleep on the floor? Whichever one is fine with me."

"I don't want to rid you of your bed," She stated with a shake of her head. "You should have a good night sleep before the world cup."

"Emma," He began with an incredulous gaze. "I literally slept in a room that had a hole in the roof and my mattress was the size of a newspaper. I'm sure I can survive sleeping on the floor just once while you're here."

She gave a small shudder, her nose scrunching in disgust, "I don't like hearing about the man who took care of you before. It's horrible to think that you were treated that way."

"Yeah well," He shrugged, pushing his glasses up. "I don't really remember anything, so I guess I was just glad I some kind of roof over my head." He patted her back reassuringly, "Come on. Let's do something fun."

By fun, he meant flying and practicing on their broomsticks. Emma was glad she had brought hers, but, unfortunately, it would never compare to Jude's lightning bolt which was still the fastest broomstick. With him being on that plus him being as skilled as he was, he easily beat her on any race they had.

They were called inside later on where they ate dinner with Hannah and Neville and talked about how excited and happy they were to be able to go to the world cup which they thanked the couple once more for the tickets.

After helping Hannah with all the dishes, they got ready for bed. Emma had taken his bed while he set up some blankets and pillows on the ground next to it. Once settled in, lights off and everything, they closed their eyes and waited for sleep.

"Emma?" Jude whispered from his spot below the bed. "You still up?"

A beat of silence passed before she answered, "What is it, Jude?"

He swallowed, playing with his fingers timidly, "What…what are your parents like?"

He glanced up when he heard shuffling from his bed and saw her green eyes peek over the bed. She let out a small smile, "They're great parents, Jude. They accept me for who I am, and love me more every day."

"That's good," He smiled back, feeling tears swell his eyes. "I just don't know what it's like, and since I wouldn't ask James because I don't like Mr. Potter, I wanted to know what yours were like."

"It's fine, Jude," Emma whispered in reply.

"Yeah," Jude sniffled. He cleared his throat lightly, "Hey, E-" He cut himself off when he glanced up at Emma's sleeping face. His face softened into a smile, "Goodnight, Emma."

…

"It's okay, Jude. It'll pass," Hannah soothed, rubbing the boy's back when he dry heaved once more after they apparated onto the Weasleys lawn.

Jude breathed deeply, hoping any kind of air would soothe his heated throat. Emma rubbed her head, hoping to right the world back. She was taking it better than Jude even though it was her first time. He'd be embarrassed about it later.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh," Mrs. Weasley came running out, a wash cloth in her hands. "Oh, Jude, deary, are you alright?"

Jude laughed shakily, nodding, "I'm alright, Mrs. Weasley. I just still haven't gotten the hang of apparation yet." He cleared his throat and put his hand on Emma's arm, giving her a push forward, "I'd like you to meet Emma Thorne. She's mine and James' best friend."

Mrs. Weasley smiled widely, shaking a startled Emma's hand, "Oh, it's nice to meet you, Emma. James has told me a lot about you."

"He has?" Emma blushed. She gave a small kick to Jude when he snickered into his palm.

"Jude! Emma!" James called out as he ran out of the house. "Are you ready?"

"Sure am," Jude grinned, forgetting about his almost upchuck no less than a minute ago. "How are we getting there? Are we flying?"

James shook his head, "Too many broomsticks. We're going by portkey."

"Portkey?" Emma perked up excitedly.

"Portkey?" Jude echoed confusedly.

James nodded before turning to Mrs. Weasley and kissing her on the cheek, "I'll see you later, Grandma."

Mrs. Weasley smiled and hugged him, "Oh, you kids have fun. Tell me who wins this year."

"Of course," James smiled back.

Hannah grabbed Jude by the shoulders, "Okay, you've got everything right?"

"Yes, Hannah," Jude nodded, his lips twitching into a smile. It was nice when someone cared for him. He could feel warmth bursting in his chest. "We double checked before we left, remember?"

Neville patted his head with a smile, "She's just making sure. You have fun now, alright? Don't worry about anything other than the game."

"Right," Jude replied.

Hannah kissed his head quickly, "I'll see you in a few days. Be safe." They quickly said hello to everyone before Apparating.

"Come on," James grabbed them by their arms and dragged them quickly to the back of the Burrow. "We're just about to leave."

They went to the back where the Potters, the Weasleys, and Teddy were waiting. "Right," Harry said, gesturing to the boot in the middle of the backyard. "Shall we then?"

Jude frowned, "What are we supposed to be doing?"

James rolled his eyes good naturedly, shoving his best male friend forward, "Just follow my lead."

Jude followed James as everyone lay on the ground, all touching the boot. Right as he put his finger on the boot as well, being the last one, he felt a sharp jolt in his stomach before they were suddenly being transported.

He shouted out in the air as the boot slipped from his grasp. He was surprised it lasted that long seeing as how there were so many of them touching it. His body slammed on the floor roughly, as did most of the others around him.

He groaned at the pain pulsing through his back. After getting his bearings in check, he stood up, hissing at the sharp pain radiating in his back. As he brought his gaze back to the sky, he could see the adults in the group easily running down from the sky.

"Alright-y then," George grinned, already running down the hill. "Let's unpack and get ready for the game."

Jude followed James and Emma as everyone else began running down the hill. He gaped in shock at all of the tents that were on the ground. So many people were camping out for the world cup. He wondered if they were gonna find a place big enough for all of them. After all, there were at least 25 of them all together.

"Hey, Jude," A slightly familiar voice greeted him.

Jude blinked, glancing up at the voice and was met with the familiar blue hair of Teddy Lupin. He smiled in greeting, "Hey, Teddy. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Teddy grinned back. "You excited for this? I know it's your first time here."

Jude nodded sheepishly, feelings his cheeks heat up a bit, "Yeah. I really don't know that much about the wizarding world, but if there's one thing I understand, it's quidditch."

Teddy chuckled, "That's good to hear."

Jude furrowed his brow when he gazed around, noticing the unfamiliar landscape, "Where are we anyways? I don't think I've ever seen this place before."

"We're in Brazil," Teddy answered, snickering at Jude's gaping face. "Yeah, I know. Portkeys can really take you far." He patted the younger male's shoulder. "Come on; we're sharing a tent with the other guys."

Jude blinked at the tent they had stopped at, watching as Teddy, Louis, and Fred went inside easily. Wasn't it going to be super cramped in there? Bracing himself, he walked in slowly and almost fell over at how big it was on the inside.

James laughed at his flabbergasted face, taking his bag and putting it next to his, "Hurry, Jude. The first game is about to start. It's Poland vs. New Zealand."

After everyone was ready, they were rushed to a large stadium where Jude could only gape in awe. The first game went by quickly with New Zealand winning. The games kept on until the quarter finals.

The next day was the quarter finals. Jude was a bit bummed that England lost while James was angry that Bulgaria lost to Ireland. When Jude asked, James explained that it was because they won last year and he got to meet Viktor Krum; one of the best seekers of their time. He then jokingly said Jude would probably make it to the world cup as well which made the boy blush modestly.

The day after that were the semi finals where they watched while biting on their nails anxiously. Jude was sure Emma burst his ear drum from her excited scream when Brazil and Japan were in the finals. He had told Emma just that when she told him it wasn't her that screamed. Fred only laughed sheepishly beside him.

The day of the finals, he was sure they had screamed themselves hoarse. He wasn't sure who exactly they were rooting for. In the end, Brazil just barely beat Japan with 50 points in the lead. The entire stadium was rocked by the cheers of the fans. Jude thought to himself that he was going to have to start looking up professional quidditch teams to get with the program.

That night, they were all tuckered out and almost passed out on their beds. Jude stared at the top of ceiling, wondering when sleep was going to claim him. He frowned, knowing it wouldn't come anytime soon, and stood from his bed, tiptoeing out of the tent quietly.

He walked out, smiling at the people who were still awake. He wandered out in the clearing where no one else was at and stared at the stars. A part of him wondered if this year was going to cut him slack.

As he brought his gaze down from the stars, he felt his body stiffen when he caught sight of a black creature staring back at him, ways away from him. He swallowed roughly, wondering what it was then cursing himself for barely knowing anything about the wizarding world.

He thanked Merlin when the creature ran back into the large trees behind. He let loose the breath he was holding and quickly made his way back to the tent he was residing in. He was going to take that as sign; Lazarus was still out there and out for his blood.


	2. 3rd Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of the new school year.

Chapter 2

After the world cup, Jude and Emma had gone back to their respective homes where they rested for a couple of days before they were off to Diagon Alley for their new books that they had been assigned for their new classes.

Once they had all their books, they said goodbyes to their families and boarded the train. Jude greeted Lily and Hugo who were happy they got to finally begin their first year in Hogwarts.

"So," Jude began, grunting as he shoved his last case of luggage on the rack in the train. "When do we get to go to Hogsmeade anyways?"

"Sometime in the winter, or so my dad says," James answered, popping one of the jelly beans in his mouth from the bag Emma had purchased. "It's nice around that time. There's snow everywhere and the butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks is warm and nice."

"Or so your dad says," Jude added with a small smile. He sat down next to James, smiling at Emma. "What are you going to do first?"

The red head shrugged, "Don't know. I do want to try the butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, and maybe shopping at the other places they have to offer."

"That sounds fun," Jude mumbled, staring at the window. "I'm just glad Neville and Hannah signed the paper. I thought they wouldn't because of what happened several months ago."

"My mum signed it pretty quickly," James stated. He stared at the card in his hands from the chocolate frog he was currently chewing on. He tsked, throwing the card down, "Great. I got another one of my dad."

Jude took it, flicking it out of the compartment. He then shut the door after it fell on the floor. He then sat back on his seat, patting his knees, "Well, I'm just excited to go to Hogsmeade. This year is just a bit refreshing."

Emma nodded with a smile, "I was really happy that we got to go to not only the world cup, but Brazil as well. It was great seeing such a different place than you're used to."

James made a noise around the chocolate in his mouth. He squinted his eyes as he rummaged through his pocket before pulling out two tickets. He grinned after finishing the chocolate frog, "My mum has season tickets to the European quidditch games. I asked her if I could go with her since she's senior quidditch correspondent at the Daily Prophet."

"That's amazing," Emma said, eyes bright in awe.

At Jude's confused gaze, he clarified, "She works for a wizarding newspaper. Like how my Aunt Luna's dad is the editor for The Quibbler." He scratched his chin in thought, "Hey, now that I think about it, Lorcan and Lysander should be coming to Hogwarts next year."

"So European Quidditch?" Jude piped up questioningly, peeking at the tickets in his friend's hand. "Are those the same teams as the World Cup?"

James shook his head, handing the two the tickets, "No. European Quidditch is a whole different league of teams like Holyhead Harpies, Puddlemere United, and all that. Don't worry; I'll tell you about them when we get to school."

"Thanks, James."

"Thank you so much, James."

The boy shrugged with a smile, "No problem."

Moments after that, the train stopped, signaling their arrival at Hogwarts. They grabbed their luggage from the train and hurried off. They were escorted with the 4th and 2nd years to the Great Hall.

Jude sat at the Gryffindor table when they were allowed to enter next to James who sat with Emma on his other side. He saw Professor Alexander conversing with Professor Harmon and Professor Flitwick. He conversed for a few minutes with some of the others at the table before Neville entered the Great Hall with all the first years.

As Neville walked next to the Sorting Hat, it began a tune for the nervous looking first years. He clapped with everyone else when the song was over and quieted when Neville cleared his throat. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and be sorted into your new houses." He glanced down at the list, "Anderson, Ira."

A short, tanned girl went up to the stool and sat on it delicately. Jude could see her wince when the hat was put on her head. It screamed, "RAVENCLAW!"

He clapped with everyone else at that as the girl eagerly ran to said table. "Arnold, Monica."

Another girl ran up and sat on the stool. A moment after the hat was on her head, it shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Beck, Rolando."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Brown, Florence."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Cox, Clarence."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Curtis, Anna."

"RAVENCLAW!"

Jude watched as more first years went up and clapped even harder when some were sorted into Gryffindor. He felt he should since he could see Louis almost jumping out of his seat when they were.

After many names were rattled off, Neville landed on, "Potter, Lily."

Lily ran up eagerly, grinning at Neville who gave her a wide smile and put the hat on her head. It screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He cheered loudly with the rest of the table when Lily ran towards them. It was nice having her around instead of Albus. Now that he really thought about it, since Albus was a year younger than him, he never really worried about him unless it came to quidditch. He mentally groaned; now that he was a 2nd year, he was going to try as hard as he could to take his spot on the team.

He knew Neville got to the end of the list when he said, "Weasley, Hugo."

Hugo was so pale, anyone could see his freckles no matter how far they were sitting. He sat on the stool shakily, flinching when the hat was placed on his head. It was only a moment before the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Color began to flood back into the poor boy's face as he jumped off the stool and ran towards the table, sitting next to Lily. Jude noticed that even though he looked relieved, he was still as pale as before.

"Weasley, Lucy."

Lucy, the strawberry blonde with thin framed glasses Jude had met during Christmas break last year, strode up to the stool. Neville put the hat on her head where it yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

She confidently walked over to the Ravenclaw table. One boy was after that before the sorting ceremony ended. Professor Flitwick said a few words before they dug into their feast. After gorging himself on a lot of meats and desserts, Jude was ready to pass out.

James dragged him to the dorms once they were dismissed where he sluggishly changed into his pajamas. He burped a goodnight to his best friend and fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.


	3. Classes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Classes were getting weirder by the year.

Chapter 3

Jude frowned as he read over the schedule in his hands. His schedule was looking a little too long for him. Still, if he thought his schedule looked long, he didn't even want to glance at Emma's. "You know, maybe I shouldn't have put Divination. Maybe I should've just stuck with Muggle Studies and Care for Magical Creatures."

Emma narrowed her eyes at them as they began walking to their first class, "Honestly, Jude. Don't sell yourself short. I'm sure you can handle any class you take. Besides, even though we have to take final exams, we don't have to worry about O.W.L.s just yet."

"Why would I worry about Hestia?" Jude raised an utterly confused eyebrow. What did his lovely owl have to do with this?

James snickered, patting his friend's shoulder, "She means Ordinary Wizarding Level tests. They're what we have to take our fifth year. It determines what classes we should or shouldn't take our sixth year. It lasts for about two weeks."

Jude gasped dramatically, "That's horrible."

Emma rolled her eyes at the laughing boys, "In our seventh year, we take N.E.W.T.; Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test which helps us pursue a career after we graduate. Only the students with the best grades get the job they want."

"That's only if you want to work for the Ministry of Magic," James added. "Usually, if your results aren't that bad, you can get any other job if you want like being a professor here, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, or Durmstrang Institute. You could also be a quidditch player if you were really good."

Jude narrowed his eyes, his vision blurring despite his glasses, "There are other wizarding schools?"

"Yes, Jude," Emma answered. "Beauxbatons is in France while Durmstrang is in Northern Europe. There are other schools but most are on different continents."

James nodded and continued for his friend, "My Aunt Fleur went to Beauxbatons with her sister. Viktor Krum, the seeker I told you about, went to Durmstrang. They both competed in the Triwizard Tournament with my dad and another student from Hogwarts."

Before Jude could open his mouth and ask what the Triwizard tournament was, they arrived at their first class. They quickly took their seats while the teacher began the class. Since the classes were the same as last year, the only new teacher was their D.A.D.A. teacher.

Professor Alexander was as nice as always. Jude spent most of the class staring at her. He was always brought out of his daze when James smacked the back of his head when she wasn't looking. He grinned sheepishly when Emma shook her head exasperatedly.

Herbology was fun since Jude always enjoyed Neville's class. He really knew how to connect with his students and never made them feel like they were stupid for asking questions. He never asked questions in Professor Young's class since she yelled at him for playing around with a few potions.

Professor Lively was a bit fun this year. They learned a little more about charms than they did last year. Professor Walton's class was always great to be in since Transfiguration was one of Jude's favorite subjects.

After lunch, Emma had to pull Jude away from his 5th dish, they went to their D.A.D.A. class where they caught sight of their new professor; Tony Beckett. He was of average height with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. He seemed easy going from how often he smiled at his students.

After that class, Emma made her way to her Ancient Runes while Jude and James made their way to Divination class. Once there, Jude furrowed his brow at the small tables that were their desks. He sat down next to James and put his bag on the floor.

He stiffened when he felt long, cold fingers grasp his face tightly. He laughed uneasily when he caught sight of Professor Trelawney. "Uh…afternoon, Professor."

"Professor?" James questioned cautiously.

Professor Trelawney's stony face beamed at him suddenly, "Oh, how could no one tell me before? This is wonderful, absolutely wonderful." She let go of his face and lowered him to his seat. "Would you like anything to drink? Some tea maybe?"

"I'm fine, Professor," Jude replied slowly. Maybe this was why so many students had called her a loon.

"Please," Trelawney grasped his hand tightly, staring into his eyes. "Do not hesitate to tell me if you need anything. It will be my pleasure to assist you."

He smiled forcefully, "Right."

As she walked back to her desk, he glanced at James who only shrugged in response. The rest of class went off nicely. Trelawney only acted weird again when she said goodbye to him by asking him if she did well to which he told her she did.

They made it to Care for Magical Creatures which was another class Jude wished he could change. Once he stepped foot there, all the creatures practically bowed to him much to James' amusement.

Hagrid walked up, gazing at the creatures confusedly, "What 'er ya doin'? Up an' at 'em. The kids 'er 'ere." After getting them all up, he cleared his throat, "Right. Anyways; I'm your professor Rubeus Hagrid and this is Care fer Magical Creatures. Today, we'll be learnin' about Hippogriffs."

He brought one of the Hippogriffs forward. James grinned, leaning towards Jude to whisper, "That's Buckbeak. My dad actually owns him but he lets him run with the other Hippogriffs."

"Now, who 'ere wants to ride Buckbeak first?" Hagrid asked eagerly, not noticing how mostly everyone took a step back. He grinned, barely noticeable by his beard, and gestured towards Jude, "You there. Come 'ere."

Jude glanced around, wondering who he was talking to when he noticed he was the only student in the front. James only shrugged uselessly. Jude nodded before walking up to Hagrid.

"Alright," Hagrid began, putting his large hand on Jude's shoulder. "What's yer name, son?"

"Jude Porter, sir," Jude answered, glancing up at the man.

Hagrid nodded with a smile, "Alright then, Jude, now Hippogriffs are proud creatures. If you don' approach them right, yer gonna regret it. They need to be treated with respect." He patted his back, "Now, bow to Buckbeak 'ere and never break eye contact. Don' even blink. And wait for him to bow back before you straighten."

Jude swallowed before he bowed, keeping his eyes on the Hippogriff. Immediately after his bow, Buckbeak bowed to him as well. He didn't notice all the other creatures bowing as well.

He straightened, keeping eye contact as Hagrid continued slowly, "Hold yer hand out, and slowly approach 'im. Let him make the first move."

As he held out his hand, Buckbeak walked towards him and let himself be petted by the boy. Jude smiled, moving his hand slowly over the Hippogriff's feathers. "Very good, Jude. That's wonderful." He came up and patted Jude on the back. "Now you can ride 'im."

"What?" Jude snapped his eyes towards Hagrid, startled as the man easily hoisted him up and put him on the Hippogriff. He clenched his jaw, his hands holding Buckbeak's feathers tightly, "Uh, Professor. I don't think this is such a good-whoa!"

He was cut short when Buckbeak galloped and suddenly jumped into the air. Jude breathed shakily as his hands were woven tightly in the feathers. His heart beat slowed when he caught sight of Hogwarts from how high they were in the air.

After the ride with Buckbeak, James got to participate as well before they had to go to their next class; Muggle Studies. The professor, Shannon Wainscot, was actually a very kind lady who was a muggle-born which Emma was happy about. Jude knew most of the stuff that was taught, as did Emma, but James was puzzled about everything.

They made it down to dinner later on. Jude dug into his meal as Emma talked about her other classes. "…Professor Newton was very intellectual while Professor Ronan only really talked about the basics today. I really think I'm going to like those classes." She took a sip of her pumpkin juice before addressing her friends, "How were your classes?"

James snorted into his dinner roll, "Professor Trelawney startled Jude by grabbing his face first thing, and then continued to act all weird by asking him how he was doing in the middle of class."

Jude nudged his friend with a frown, "Leave it be, mate. It's not like any of us know what's going on."

"What about Care for Magical Creatures?"

"We got to ride Buckbeak; a Hippogriff," James explained before snickering. "All the creatures there kept hounding Jude for some reason. They really liked him."

Jude groaned as Emma giggled with James. He wasn't gonna get any slack from these two. "Porter!" He groaned again when he heard a familiar voice.

Carlos grinned as he sat next to the boy as Jared took a seat across from them. James glared at Leon who smiled at Emma and began conversing with her. Jude could sense James' anger spiking when he heard that Leon had taken the same classes as Emma.

He sighed mentally as Carlos kept pestering him about his summer. This was never going to be a peaceful year. He didn't know why he even thought it would be.


	4. Quidditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst thing about a 3rd year meant Albus was a 2nd year and could try and take his position from him.

Chapter 4

While Jude looked forward to quidditch and anything involved with quidditch, this year, he was not at all excited for quidditch tryouts. Him being in his 3rd year of Hogwarts meant Albus was in his 2nd, and most likely trying out for the quidditch team; specifically the seeker position.

Though James and Emma told him not to worry about it since there was no way Olivia would ever switch him out, the fact that Albus came from a family of quidditch players, especially former Gryffindor seeker Harry Potter and former Holyhead Harpies chaser Ginny Weasley made him a bit nervous about his position.

He didn't know how he was so good at being a seeker, but he just like to call it natural talent. Actually, James, Olivia, Fred, Roxanne, and Louis called it that. He called it luck; a lot of luck.

"You alright, Jude?" Olivia asked as she flew over to him on her broomstick. "You excited for this year?"

Jude nodded a bit nervously, gripping his broomstick anxiously in his hands as he floated as well, "Uh…yeah. I guess you could say that. I always look forward to Hogwarts every year."

Louis grinned as the upper half of his body was laying on his broomstick, "I usually do too, but not this year. I don't want to take those stupid O.W.L.s. I dread 5th year."

Kelli rolled her eyes as Simon chuckled with the other beater. Jude assumed it was because since it was both of their 6th years, and they had already taken O.W.L.s and had to now study for N.E.W.T.s. Olivia had to take that as it was her last year, which was why she was ready to train everyone harshly so they could win the quidditch cup for her 7th year. Also because she was getting scouted in every game.

Jude was taken out of this thoughts when James, Emma, Leon joined them while Albus and a few others showed up behind them. He tightened his grip on the broom when he stared at Albus. The boy ignored his stare as he listened to Olivia explain the tryouts.

The students trying out for chasers would go with James, Emma, and Kelli. The students trying out for beaters went with Louis and Simon. The students trying out for keeper would go with Olivia and students trying out for seeker would go with Jude. Unfortunately for Jude, only Albus was trying out for seeker.

Since no one was trying out for keeper, Olivia chose to help Jude with Albus. "Alright then, Potter," Olivia began before scratching her head. "Younger Potter, I mean. I'm going to throw some small balls in the air to see if you can catch them. If you can catch all of them, you'll be going to go against Jude in seeing who can catch the last one the fastest."

Albus nodded, readying himself on his broomstick; James bitterly said it was his father's Firebolt. It was fast, and since Albus was experienced, he would be pretty good at being seeker. That only frightened Jude a bit. Just a bit.

Olivia threw the ball, starting the small challenge. Jude felt air burst on the side of his face as Albus flew off toward the ball. He caught it in two minutes while Olivia threw another. It had taken him less than 30 minutes to catch all of them.

"Well okay then," Olivia said, raising her eyebrows at the younger male. "Now, let's start the last trial. Are you ready, boys?"

Both boys nodded, stiffly waiting for the ball to launch. Olivia cocked her arm back before letting the ball fly. She flinched when the boys flew pass barely a second after she had thrown the ball.

Jude laid his body on his broom, going faster than before. He was lucky his Lightningbolt went way faster than any Firebolt. He narrowed his eyes when they landed on the small ball ahead of him. He snarled when he felt Albus barely bumping into his shin.

He hitched his body up, putting his feet onto his broom and placing one hand in between them. He stood on his broom, bending his knee. He extended one hand and threw his body backwards. His hand caught the ball as he finished the spin the broomstick.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the dizziness and raced back towards Olivia. He grinned as he held the ball up. His captain smiled and caught it when he threw it towards her, "I expected nothing less from you, Jude."

Albus flew back over, his face in the one of the angriest scowls he had ever seen; and he lived with Piers. Luckily, the boy said nothing more and accepted his quidditch fate.

A week later, the tryout results were posted. Only Albus had made it, albeit being a reserve.

…

Jude floated in the air with his teammates, waiting for Professor Harmon to start the match. He was a bit nervous since Olivia drilled it in their heads that they had to absolutely, positively win all the games this year since she was being scouted for one of the best teams in European quidditch which made her nervous as well.

" _Good afternoon, ladies and gents,_ " A Gryffindor 5th year announced lively to the crowds. " _Today marks the first match of the year; the fine Gryffindor vs. the self-righteous Slytherin._ "

" _Conners!_ " Professor Alexander's voice was heard, scolding the boy.

Conners laughed, " _Sorry, sorry. Anyways, on the Slytherin team, we have the captain and one of the chasers; 6th year Brady Chase. With him are the two other chasers; 5th year Cheryl Stacks and 4th year Danny Simmons. For the beaters, we have 7th year Clarence Bastille and Brendan Solace. For the keeper, we have 6th year Michael Craver. For the seeker, we have 2nd year Scorpius Malfoy. Is this boy ready to get his arse handed to him or what?_ "

" _CONNERS!_ " Jude winced at Professor Alexander's angry voice while Louis was cackling loudly; Conners was one of his best friends. A glance down showed Jude that Professor Harmon was grinning amusedly.

" _Right, right,_ " Conners replied sheepishly before clearing his throat. " _On the Gryffindor team, we have the lovely and powerful captain and keeper; 7th year Olivia Wood, ladies and germs._ " The crowd roared at that while Olivia only smiled and waved politely.

" _Continuing; For our chasers, we have 6th year Kelli Sharp, and 3rd year James Potter and Emma Thorne. For the beaters, we have 6th year Simon Boone and the awesome and amazing 5th year Louis Weasley. YOOO!_ "

"YOOO!" Louis echoed back with a wide grin.

" _And last but not least, the one and only, 3rd year Jude Porter. Everyone give it up for the golden boy!_ " Jude blushed at the loud cheers and squeals he heard from the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff house. Professor Harmon, Professor Alexander, and Neville were cheering him on as well which only served to embarrass him even more.

" _With Professor Harmon as the ref, she will start this match._ "

After Professor Harmon gave the instructions and rules of the game, she let the balls loose into the sky. Jude shot off to the side while the keepers went to their respective sides, the beaters fought with the bludger, and the chasers of both teams went against each other.

Jude glanced at Scorpius who looked a bit nervous on his broom. He couldn't blame him; he was nervous his first game to. No amount of training could've prepared him for the actual game.

" _And Olivia blocks an incoming shot from Chase. Seriously, Olivia, tell me how you do it? How do you keep looking so beautiful every time you play?_ "

" _I'm warning you, Mr. Conners._ "

It had only taken five minutes to hear the snitch. Five minutes of Conners announcing and Emilie warning him every time he said something inappropriate about either teams. It was amusing really. It was the first time he had seen his professor flustered.

He shot off on his broom, Scorpius flying after him a second later. " _Oh, and it looks like Jude has found the snitch. Look out, little Malfoy, you're in over your head now._ "

Jude sped up as he could see the golden ball zipping around in front of him. He grunted when he suddenly felt his broomstick being pushed to the side. He glanced down, seeing a flash of black before he was thrown off his broom and thrown into the staff seating.

He groaned, feeling the broken wooden bench sting his back. "Are you alright, Jude?" Professor Alexander asked worriedly as the rest of the teachers walked over to him.

" _And Porter was thrown off his broom,_ " Conners continued his commentary. " _What's going to happen now that Malfoy is gaining on the snitch?_ "

Before Emilie could open her mouth to scold the announcer, Jude shot up and ran to the edge of tower. He saw the snitch coming up with Scorpius and his broom right behind. He jumped onto the beam, balancing himself so he wouldn't fall off the tower, and ran towards the end before jumping.

The crowd screamed in fright as he free fell. He was caught seconds later by his broom which righted him and shot off towards the snitch quickly. He could hear Conners laugh into the mic, " _Well would you look at that? Jude was thrown off his broom, but that didn't stop him from continuing. Now that's a true player right there._ "

Jude outstretched his arm, his fingers closing around the snitch as Scorpius was trying to bump his hand away. Unfortunately for the blond Slytherin, he was no match for the dark haired Gryffindor.

He raised his arm high, stopping in the middle of the pitch, and showed everyone the snitch held in his hand. Everyone, minus the Slytherin house, cheered, " _There you have it, folks. With Jude catching the snitch, that ends the game at 550-120 with Gryffindor winning. Hand over the money, Montgomery. I told you it was wrong to bet against Porter._ "

" _Conners, I swear to Merlin-_ "

" _You shouldn't swear, Professor Alexand-no, please! I'll stop, I promise!_ "


	5. Learning of Great Beasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beasts in the books were starting to look a bit familiar.

Chapter 5

"Okay, kids. Your homework is reading chapter 10-12 tonight and writing a summary on it," Professor Beckett said to the class as the students gathered their things into their bags. "It won't be due till next since you will be going Hogsmeade tomorrow. So have a good day."

Jude sighed, shifting his bag on his shoulder as he followed his fellow classmates out of the classroom. He caught up with James and Emma as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room. He was glad the homework wasn't much, but he still didn't like homework. He hoped Emma would help him this time and not spend all her time with Leon.

He set his stuff down on one of the small tables with James and Emma and brought out the text book they were supposed to be reading, "I wanna get this done as quickly as possible. I wanna be able to go to Hogsmeade as a free man."

James groaned, twirling his quill between his fingers, "I hear what you're saying, mate, but I really don't want to do this right now."

"Which is why we'll do it together," Emma insisted, already flipping to the chapter. "We always get our work done faster that way."

Jude sniffed, putting a hand on his heart dramatically, "Bless your soul, Emma."

Emma smiled amusedly, "Whatever. You've boys have been like this since the first year. I can't have you falling behind on me."

James grinned, "You're so good to us, Em."

The red head gave him a flat look while Jude snickered discreetly in his hand at her slowly reddening cheeks. He flipped through the pages, finally finding the chapter they were supposed to read.

Silence drowned over the three of them, only broken by the incoming students who filed in and out of the common room. Jude waved hello to Lily, and Hugo who talked about their classes as well before realizing they were doing their homework and went on their way.

Rose happened to come to them as well, looking happy they were doing their homework before setting up shop on the table next to them. Albus came in minutes after her and sat down with Rose as they began their homework as well.

As Jude flipped to the last page, he furrowed his brow when his eyes landed on the picture in the middle of the page. It honestly looked like a black blanket, but he felt as if he had seen it before.

He winced when his scar burned. He brought his hand to the back of his neck, feeling the tips of his scar. James glanced up at him, worry in his eyes, "You alright, Jude? Is your neck bothering you?"

Jude shook his head, putting on a smile, "No, no. It's…I'm fine. Just felt a slight pinch in my neck is all." He rubbed his neck to show his friends.

James nodded in agreement, "My neck gets tired from reading too much too. It's hard to find a comfortable reading position." He stretched his arms, "It's a good thing I'm almost done with the summary."

Emma smiled, "Do you want me to help you finish it, James?"

"Why it would be an honor."

As the two began to go over James' summary, Emma having already finished hers, Jude moved his gaze back to the book in his hand and frowned, "Lethifold?"

A flash went through his mind. The black cloth looking thing looked familiar, but he didn't know why. Where had he seen such a creature before? Why did it look so familiar to him?


	6. Trip To Hogsmeade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogsmeade really was lovely.

Chapter 6

"Students," Professor Alexander began to the 3rd years in front of her, her breath misting in the air from how cold it was. "Today is our trip to Hogsmeade. You will be able to visit every shop in the village. You may buy what you like, but please do not get lost."

Jude rubbed his eyes under his glasses, walking with James and Emma through the village entrance. His mouth dropped open as he gazed at the shops in awe; he really needed to get out more. He had never seen so many beautiful shops before.

"It's great, isn't it, mate?" James grinned, rubbing his gloved hands together. "It's a bit cold, but it's still awesome being here. Come on."

He pushed the gaping Emma and Jude with him. They walked with him through the cold before they got to a flashing store with a giant head on the top that was moving its hat on and off its head.

James gestured to the shop, "Welcome to my uncle George's joke shop; Weasleys Wizards and Wheezes. One of the best shops in Hogsmeade really."

Jude breathed in awe, "This is wicked." Never before had he seen such a brightly, jovial shop. Then again, he didn't really go out much. Just thinking about it was kind of depressing to him. "Let's go check it out." He turned to his red head friend expectantly.

Emma shook her head regrettably, "Sorry. I'll meet up with you guys. I just really want to visit the other shops for school supplies. I promise, I'll meet up with you two later." She gave them a small wave before disappearing in the crowd.

"Bloody hell," James grumbled, kicking the snow. "I really wanted to see if I could creep her out with some of the stuff in there."

Jude rolled his eyes; yep, his friend was acting like most teen boys would when they had a crush on a girl. He nodded almost condescendingly while pushing his friend forward in the shop, "Yeah. Maybe next time, mate."

They walked into the shop with James shivering at the change in temperature. Jude gaped at the merchandise, wishing he had enough money to buy almost everything there. "Well, look-y here."

The blue eyed boy glanced up at the slightly familiar voice, meeting George's wide grin. He smiled in greeting, "Nice to see you again, George."

George gave him a wave of his hand in return, "You as well, Mr. Porter. I take it James showed you the way here?"

"That he did."

"Well now," George slid on the railing of the stairs towards them. He smirked mischievously, "James always gets a discount, so I won't mind giving you one as well. Choose whatever you like. First item on the house."

Jude beamed, "Wow, thanks George. That's great." He nudged his silent friend, "Your Uncle is great, James."

James merely grunted before going further into the shop. George furrowed his brow confusedly at the sight, "What's got his knickers in a twist?"

The younger male sighed, shaking his head, "He's got a crush on Emma. You remember her, right? She went with us to the World Cup?"

"Red head, right?"

"Right," Jude nodded, stuffing his hands in his coat pocket. "He's liked her since last year, but I don't think he really knows that he does. She doesn't notice and she always hangs out with this kid named Leon Adams. James gets really jealous every time he's around and starts lashing out at her and Leon."

George hummed, "Shame." He then grinned, "Would he hate it if I pranked him? That sounds like a good plan, right?"

Jude laughed, "I'm sure James would love it. What've you got in mind?"

The two spent the next half hour brainstorming pranks to use on Leon while James mindlessly wandered around the shop. Jude then bought a few joke items before he found his best friend who was conversing with the Pygmy Puffs.

They said goodbye to George and promised to return soon before they went to Three Broomsticks Inn. They sat down and ordered butterbeer. While they waited, Jude waved to Emma when she appeared at the entrance. He inwardly cursed when he saw Leon, Carlos, and Jared trailing behind her. He never had a problem with Jared; he actually found Jared a godsend since he seemed like the only one who could take care of Carlos.

"Jude!" Carlos exclaimed excitedly before wrapping his arms around the other boy.

Jude cried mentally, wondering why the boy did this all the time. He acted as if they weren't roommates or in the same year. They saw each other every day and every night, so why did he find it necessary to glomp him all the time?

Jared pulled his friend off the glasses wearing boy, "Come on, Carlos. Leave Jude alone. You know he's not used to your hugs yet."

Carlos whined with a pout, "But Jude's so warm. Feel him." He took Jude's hand despite his protest and rubbed it against his cheek, "It should be illegal to be this warm with this kind of weather going on."

Jared rolled his eyes, "Enough, Carlos." He grabbed Jude's hand from his friend's before he blinked in astonishment, "Oh wow that is warm."

Jude scrunched his lips before snatching his hand from the other boy. He turned around to James and found him glaring at Leon who now sat next to Emma as she sat between the two. He cleared his throat, "So, Emma. How'd you find these three anyways?"

Emma smiled, oblivious to James' glaring and Jude's tense form, "Well, when I left you two, I went to Tomes and Scrolls. I saw Leon there, so I decided to shop with him. When we got to Potage's Cauldron, we found Carlos and Jared. I asked if they wanted to join us in meeting you guys here."

"That's nice," Jude responded stiffly. He was glad when the butterbeer came. He downed it quickly while Emma and the others were ordering.

James scoffed while drinking his butterbeer as well, "Isn't she nice?" He mumbled to his friend quietly as Emma chatted with the other boys. "She asked them to come along with us. It was supposed to be only us."

Jude nodded as he scratched his head, "Yeah, I know, James. She really is nice like that." He glanced at Emma who was now laughing at one of Carlos' enthusiastic story telling. He turned back to James and noticed his harsh glare on the others.

He sighed heavily in his mind; how long was he going to have to wait before James realized his feelings? How long was it going to be when Emma noticed? And when was Carlos going to stop trying to grab his hand?


	7. Following A Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One should never follow a beast.

Chapter 7

Jude yawned, rubbing his eyes under his glasses as he tried to focus his tired eyes on the text book in front of him. He had studied with James and Emma during the day, but there was something about the creatures in the book that kept nagging at him in the back of his mind and making his scar burn.

He couldn't figure it out while he was with his friends, and he certainly didn't want to worry the two if it was actually nothing in the long run. It didn't help that they kept asking him what was wrong every time he so much as winced from the burning of his scar.

He sighed lightly, not wanting to wake his roommates even though they were used to Carlos' thundering snores. He slowly slipped out of his bed and grabbed his wand. He only made it a few steps before he stubbed his toe and cursed, "Bloody hell."

He stiffened when James stirred and turned to him, "What are you doing, mate?" His best friend slurred tiredly, squinting his eyes so hard it seemed like they were closed.

Jude put his finger to his lips, shushing his friend, "Don't worry, mate. I'm just gonna go pee real quick. Nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep."

James grumbled before turning back on his side away from Jude. The blue eyed boy sighed in relief silently and continued on his way out of the dorm. He walked out of the common room and continued down the stairs until he was in the halls.

" _Lumos,_ " He whispered and watched the tip of his wand light up brightly. It was a good thing it was 3 o'clock in the morning; no one would see him now. Then again, he didn't really get why he was so afraid of being seen. It's not like he was doing anything wrong. Right?

Right.

He made it to the restroom and did his business before walking out. He sighed happily, finally feeling a bit free from emptying his bladder. He felt like a balloon now. He could just fly off if he wasn't careful.

Anyways.

He said the lumos spell again and walked on back towards the staircase. He would've made without any incident if he didn't feel something crash into his leg and send him into the floor harshly.

Jude bit back a curse and held his wand up towards where the little black thing had run. He gulped in fear when he saw a blanket like thing slither on the ground away from him. He had seen enough movies to know that following it was a bad idea. But his scar was burning, and that meant answers.

He stood up and slowly followed the creature. It turned a corner and continued on down the hall. He glanced around and noticed he was by the Great Hall. Why had it come all the way down here? Was it looking for something?

He blinked when the creature slid under the door of a chamber just outside the Great Hall. He gazed at the blank door, wondering how he was supposed to get in if there was no handle for him to pull.

What was behind the door anyways?


	8. The Chamber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something of great proportions was lying in that room, but what?

Chapter 8

Jude swallowed as he stared at the wall/door in front of him. There was something behind there, and if he knew anything, he knew that it had to do with Lazarus. The only thing he didn't know was; how was he going to open the entrance and what was behind it? What really made his scar so much?

He hesitantly lifted his hand and placed it on the cool marble of the wall/door. He jumped, startled when the door opened before him. That was weird.

He shook his head, breathing deeply to try and calm his rapid heartbeat. He slowly walked into the room and gazed around the dark room. "Lumos," He whispered causing the tip of his wand to light up.

His heart jumped to his throat when he noticed the dark creature before him. It seemed to hiss at him before turning away and scattering under some kind of coffin. He walked towards the tomb, flinching when he felt his scar burn even more. He could almost feel the sweat beading at his brow.

He had never sweated before. Not even after 10 hours of quidditch practice.

As he stood next to the coffin, he lifted his hand to try and touch it, to see if it would open like the door did. Just as his fingers were about to graze it, a voice suddenly whispered, "Don't."

Jude jolted, snatching his hand back quickly and waving his wand around to see if he could find the owner of the voice. No one was there.

It wasn't James. It sounded much older. It wasn't Emma. It sounded like a man's. It wasn't Lazarus'. It sounded gentler. It wasn't Neville's. It sounded much different. If it wasn't any of them, then who was it?

With a shake of his head, trying to gather his thoughts, he ran out of the room as fast as he could. The door shut just after he had stepped out.

His lungs burned by the time he made it back to the common room and he was glad he didn't trip and fall when he ran up the moving staircases. With a heavy sigh, hoping to regulate his breathing, he made it back to his dorm.

" _Nox,_ " He whispered and the light in on his wand vanished. He set his wand on his nightstand and shuffled back into bed.

Before he fully succumbed to sleep, he made note that his scar wasn't burning so intensely anymore.


	9. Christmas Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was nice to have a big family to spend Christmas with.

Chapter 9

Jude groaned miserably as he tried to still the world as he lay in one of the Weasleys spare beds. He didn't know why he still wasn't used to it, but he honestly didn't think he could handle anymore Apparation anymore. He preferred broomsticks no matter how weird it looked to Muggles.

James frowned as he stood next to him while Mrs. Weasley fussed over him, "Are you sure you're okay, mate? You look really pale."

"m'fine," Jude responded through garbled speech, lifting up his hand to wave it. "Just need to lay down for a bit."

"If you say so," James mumbled with a shake of his head. "I'm gonna go downstairs to tell Emma you're alright."

Jude made a noise of acknowledgement in the back of his throat as James walked out. The blue eyed boy smiled gratefully at Mrs. Weasley who put a cold towel on his forehead, "Thank you very much, Mrs. Weasley. I'm sorry I'm making such a fuss."

Mrs. Weasley waved her hand dismissively with a smile, "Oh nonsense. It's not your fault you don't like Apparation. Trust me; some of my kids didn't like it until they started doing it on their own."

He inhaled lightly with a small smile, "That's slightly reassuring." Now feeling a bit better than before, he sat up on the bed, "Thanks again for this. I'm not really used to being doted upon so much but Hannah is getting me used to it."

"James told me you didn't know your parents," Mrs. Weasley responded, gently taking the now warm towel. She smiled a bit sadly, "You poor thing. You didn't have any aunts or uncles?"

He shook his head, using his shirt sleeve to wipe the small drops of water off his forehead, "None that I know of. I didn't even know my parents before they died, so it's kind of hard to try and look for them." He mustered up a smile, "But I'm glad I have Neville and Hannah. They take great care of me."

The Weasley matriarch smiled widely, running her fingers through the boy's hair, "I'm glad you're so happy, Jude. Now," She helped him up and led him to the door. "Let's get to the party with everyone else. We don't want to keep them waiting."

Jude smiled back as he was led down the stairs with her. When he arrived down stairs, Emma beamed as she walked up to him, "I'm glad you're okay. You must really not like Apparation if that's your reaction to it."

The blue eyed boy suppressed an embarrassed blush at her words; he was slightly irked that Emma got used to it on the second try while he still had trouble keeping his food down. He scratched his cheek as he gazed around at the party goers, "I'm just not used to it, is all. It'll be fine."

"Right," James mumbled playfully, grinning when his friend elbowed him. He patted his back, "Let's talk with the others, shall we?"

With a nod, Jude followed James as he took them to where most of the people their age were at. He joined in the conversation about school tests and classes. Louis was once again complaining about having to take O.W.L.s while Dominique was still trying to study for her N.E.W.T.s.

Jude was happy when the food arrived. He dug into the heavenly meals, ignoring Emma's scolding about his messy eating. He had to force his gaze away from his food when the door opened, revealing a reddish-brown haired, tall man with a blonde woman and twins who looked exactly like him.

"Aunt Luna!" Lily cried happily, running towards the blonde woman. She hugged her tightly, "It's so good to see you." She pulled away, smiling at the man, "It's nice to see you to, Uncle Rolf."

The man, Rolf, smiled back in greeting while the twins grinned widely, "Hi, Lily."

"Lorcan, Lysander," Lily ruffled their hair before taking Luna by the hand and leading her to the dining room where everyone was seated.

Everyone got up and greeted the new comers. James had whispered quickly that they were the Scamanders and Luna was a friend of his parents, his aunt Hermione, and his uncle Ron.

Emma had introduced herself, saying she was a big fan of Rolf's grandfather, Newt; the man who had written Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Jude had read that book once and it was very fun to read.

Luna smiled lightly at him, and he hesitantly smiled back, "Hi, I'm Jude Porter." He held out his hand.

When the blonde shook his hand, he was surprised by the strong grip she had put on it before she pulled him in to look at his face closely. Her face lit up in what seemed like recognition, "Wow, I can't believe one actually exists."

He furrowed his brow confusedly, "Uh, excuse me?" He was getting more of this year than his first two years. It was getting a bit weird. "I don't-"

"Luna," Ginny stood, taking her friend by her shoulder and steering her towards the kitchen. "Why don't we get you guys something to eat?"

Jude barely made out Luna's voice as she and her family walked towards the kitchen, " _I didn't know you holding such a boy in your house._ "

" _What do you mean?_ " Ginny replied before the door closed, muffling their voices.

Jude shook his head, blinking widely as he sat with everyone else. He was grateful no one thought to bring it up.

.

_Everything was dark. It was like an abyss._

_The silence was getting louder._

_It was too hard to get out._

_Suddenly, thousands of red eyes appeared before him. The light came in, showing their gigantic pincers, dripping with an unknown liquid._

_They were coming closer. They looked ready to devour him._

_"JUDE!"_

.

Jude gasped in harsh breath of air as he shot up from his bed. He panted lightly, trying not to wake the others. He felt the burning from his scar slowly diminish.

He put his head in his hands, shocking himself when he felt sweat beading on his forehead. He swallowed dryly; he never once in his life ever had sweat. Not even a drop.

He shook his head before he slowly got up from his cot and tiptoed to the kitchen, hoping to get a glass of water. He felt a sense of déjà vu, realizing he had a hard time sleeping last year, but this time, it wasn't Fred's thunder snores.

He made it to the kitchen, taking his time trying to find a glass. Once he found one, he filled it with water and drank it in a few gulps.

He ran a hand over his face tiredly; what was going on with him?


	10. Jude's Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the first birthday he actually remembered celebrating, and it couldn't be better.

Chapter 10

For Jude's 13 years of living, there was never a birthday that really stood out to him that he could remember fondly. Maybe those two years with his parents were good birthdays. He'd never know.

When he began living with Piers, he was surprised he remembered his birthday. Then again, it was because Piers always asked how old he was on that day, hoping he was still underage so he could get money.

So now, on his 14th birthday, someone jumping on his bed rudely awakened him. "Happy, happy birthday, Porter!"

Jude groaned miserably, opening his eyes to see 5 blurry figures before him. From the red hair, he could safely assume Emma was in the room. He sat up, with much difficulty since someone was sitting on his legs, and grabbed his glasses.

Once he had them on, he could clearly see Carlos sitting on his legs, James and Emma standing by his nightstand, and Jared and Leon at the end of his bed.

He squinted his eyes at all of them, "Um, hi?"

Suddenly, there were sparks flying around the room like firecrackers as they all shouted, "Happy birthday, Jude!"

He blinked, "Is it always going to be this loud?"

James grinned while patting his shoulder, "Get used to it, mate."

Jude shrugged helplessly, "If I have to." He put on a grin, "Thanks, everyone."

"Presents!" Carlos exclaimed excitedly, jumping off Jude's bed and legs, much to said boy's relief.

"P-presents?" Jude murmured a bit overwhelmed. He choked when he saw everyone holding a present in their hands. "R-really guys, you didn't have to-oof!"

He was cut off when Carlos jumped back into his bed and proceeded to go under the covers despite Jared's warnings. "We wanted to, Porter," Carlos grinned, putting his arm on Jude's shoulder. He gave the birthday boy his present, "Happy birthday."

Jude shrugged out of his arm and reluctantly took the present. The present was haphazardly wrapped, so he didn't care to be gentle with the wrapping as he tore it open. Inside the box was a plain Gryffindor scarf.

He blinked at Carlos who grinned widely, "You never wear your scarf even in the worst of weather, so I brought you one in case you lost yours. Now you don't have to be cold anymore."

"Thanks," Jude mumbled, not having the heart to tell the boy that he had about a handful of scarves and the only reason he didn't wear them was because he was seemingly impervious to cold weather.

He assumed Jared and Leon didn't get him anything since Emma was next. He smiled his thanks and gently opened the wrapping. He grinned when he saw a nice blue flannel in the box, "Thanks, Emma."

Emma smiled back happily, "I'm glad to be of assistance."

James smirked before handing his best friend his present, "Hope you like it. I'm not the best at giving presents, so I hope it's good."

"Even nothing would be great," Jude replied with a kind smile before opening the gift. He pulled out a poster of the Holyhead Harpies that was signed by all the players, including Ginny.

While he had never seen them play, and the only player he had ever met was Ginny and she didn't even play anymore, he was happy to receive a great gift from his favorite sport. And besides, James had also gotten him season tickets to the League Cup anyways.

Jude grinned at James and held out his hand. James grinned back and they proceeded to do their secret handshake, ignoring Carlos' whine at the display of friendship.

Jude pushed off his blankets, "I'm hungry. Let's get some breakfast." The others nodded in agreement and followed his example.

Almost an hour later, they were seated at the Great Hall with the birthday boy stuffing his face with as much bacon and sausage he could get his hands on. No one protested, and Carlos practically threw his food on the other boy's plate.

Jude suddenly choked on his sausage when a hard object smacked him in the head. Emma began patting his back while James took the package Hestia dropped off. Jude gasped for breath, "What is it?"

Taking that as his permission, James opened the package. He began to laugh as he shuffled through the letters in his hands, "You're certainly popular, mate."

"What?" Jude coughed and took the letters from his best friend's hand. His eyes widened when he realized that not only had Hannah sent him a letter, but so had Ginny, George & Angelina, Fred & Roxanne, Audrey, Bill & Fleur, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Teddy & Victoire.

The blue-eyed boy dragged his gaze up to James and narrowed his eyes, "Just how many people did you tell?"

James shrugged, smiling amusedly, "What can I say? My family loves you."

Despite feeling a bit overwhelmed, Jude couldn't keep the wide smile off his lips. It was nice to know that the number of people who cared for him was now in the double digits.

After breakfast, they went to class where Jude had gotten more birthday wishes from his teachers. Neville had given him a small plant that was very beautiful. Professor Lively had done a charm that said happy birthday in sparkly letters. Professor Alexander told him happy birthday and ruffled his hair while giving him a bright smile. Jude would always deny the blush on his cheeks.

Hagrid had given him a small chocolate cupcake and proceeded to crush him in a bear hug. Buckbeak and the rest of the creatures crowed around him, some even gave him licks.

During quidditch practice, the team, minus Albus, practically threw him in the air while singing happy birthday. When practice was over, Olivia discreetly whispered that she would make him captain in maybe his 5th or 6th year. His smile was blinding after that.

All in all, Jude was glad for all his friends. They really cared for him; enough for him to cry tears of joy at the dinner feast where they brought out a small cake for him. Manly tears of joy, he claimed when his friends wouldn't stop laughing. Even some of the students in the other house were laughing with them as well.

It was nice to have a day where he didn't have to worry about the future, and only what was happening in front of him.


	11. Second Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn't want to die today.

Chapter 11

A couple months had passed and Jude was fully ready for the quidditch match against Hufflepuff. The only thing he hoped for was that he didn't get injured. He would be fine as long as Albus didn't play. The only reason he was thinking that was because it was Hufflepuff seeker Paul Beckett's last year, and he was looking very murderous. He could feel his knees shaking just at the sight of the 7th year.

He really didn't want to die today.

Which was why his teammates found him holding onto one of the benches in the locker room.

"Jude," Emma sighed exasperatedly as James and Louis tugged on the resisting boy's legs. "This is not the time to be scared. The game starts in 5 minutes."

"I don't wanna die today!" Jude babbled between his sobs. "I have too much to live for!"

Ignoring Leon's snort, Olivia crossed her arms and glared at the crying boy, "Porter!"

At the sound of the captain's commanding voice, everyone froze in place. Olivia shook her head in disappointment, "I can't believe you're letting this get to you. Jude, you've been injured almost every single game we've had. You've had head injuries, back injuries, and from the rumors, you've fought a dark wizard who's trying to kill you, and now you're crying about a 7th year _Hufflepuff_ trying to beat you? Really, Jude?"

Jude sniffled, his cheeks heating in embarrassment, as he finally let go of the bench, "You're right. M'sorry." He took his glasses off to clean them and wipe his eyes, "I'm just really nervous is all."

Olivia patted his shoulder firmly, "Best time to be brave. Now come on before I bring in Albus Potter to replace your scrawny arse."

The blue eyed boy snapped up straight, "I'm fine, Captain."

She grinned, "Now that's what I like to hear. Let's go, everyone."

They cheered as they walked out of the locker room finally. Once they stepped on the pitch, they mounted their brooms and shot into the air with the Hufflepuff team. After Neville gave the instructions, every person shot off around the pitch.

Jude swallowed his fear even as Beckett was glaring at him. He could do this. He had beat 7th years before. This was going to be no problem for him.

The crowd cheered just as the 6th year Slytherin announcer continued her commentary, " _And Thorne gives Gryffindor 10 points in the lead._ "

The blue-eyed boy exhaled anxiously, his hands tightening around his broomstick. He had to concentrate and calm his pounding heart so he could hear the fluttering of the snitch.

It was only minutes later, after much scoring for each team, did Jude finally spy the quick snitch. He shot off towards it, feeling Beckett just behind him moments after.

" _Porter has found the snitch. It seems like Beckett is not willing to lose this year. Let's see who will catch it first._ "

Jude was so focused on the snitch in front of him as he flew higher into the air that he didn't notice anything near him until the hood of his robe was thrown over his eyes.

"What the-!" He tried to push his hood back, only to feel it tugged down more forcefully. He cried out when he felt himself slip off his broom, "AAAAHHHHH!"

He grunted when his body collided with Beckett's, throwing the other seeker off his broom as well. Jude was finally able to throw his hood back just as he landed on his own broom.

He reacted quickly, shooting his arm out to catch Beckett before he fell towards the pitch. He groaned, feeling the broom fall with the extra weight. He gritted his teeth, ignoring Beckett's cries, and flew towards the snitch.

He caught it in under a minute, hearing the cheers as he held his arm high to show everyone. He let both himself and Beckett down, massaging his over worked arm.

"Good job, Porter!" Olivia exclaimed happily as she ruffled his hair.

Beckett huffed, shaking his head before saying begrudgingly, "Thanks, Porter."

Jude gave a small smile, "No problem."

He was then glomped by Louis who shouted, "Three cheers for Porter!"

The audience cheered with the Gryffindor quidditch team. Jude grinned happily before glancing at the sky; what was that?


	12. Quidditch Arguments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Research time was shot down apparently.

Chapter 12

Since the incident at the last quidditch game, Jude spent every free moment reading about beasts and creatures in the library. Emma was happy he was doing research for class while James was a bit suspicious; he knew Jude only went to the library when he was bored. So, as a good friend, James knew he had to stop Jude's crazy mind.

Jude blinked, startled out of his workings when a book and poster slammed on his notes. He looked up to find James who was red faced with his eye twitching behind his glasses, "Jude," James ground out angrily. "Tell these-these-these…heathens," He pointed behind himself to where Emma, Leon, Jared, and Carlos were stand. "That they're wrong."

Leon smirked, taunting James by saying, "Big word, Potter."

James ignored him as he stared at Jude expectantly. Jude glanced down and realized he was looking at a quidditch poster, and a book called _Quidditch Through The Ages_. He cleared his throat, treading carefully, "I'm sure they're wrong, James. What about exactly?"

James sighed exasperatedly, flopping down in a chair next to him. Carlos followed his example eagerly and sat down from Jude while Jared, Emma, and Leon sat down as well. "Curry thinks the Chudley Cannons are going to win the League Cup this year, and Clark and Adams think it's going to be the Ballycastle Bats."

Emma piped up next, "I, for one, think it's going to be the Wimbourne Wasps."

Jude stared at them all before moving his gaze to James, "And who do you think will win, mate?"

James stared at him incredulously, "If it's not the Holyhead Harpies or the Montrose Magpies, it's going to be Puddlemere United. Everyone knows that." He then turned back to Jude, raising his eyebrows as he waited patiently for him to say something.

Jude shrugged, "I think Puddlemere United will probably win."

"Ha!" James cheered, slamming his hand on the table.

"Shh!" Emma and the librarian hissed at James who rolled his eyes.

With a lowered voice, he continued smugly, "I told you Jude would agree."

Leon sneered, "That's because he's your little lackey, Potter."

James clenched his jaw tightly as he glared at Leon, "Shut up, Adams. Don't you dare say anything about Jude."

Carlos nodded vigorously, "Yeah, leave Porter alone."

Emma frowned, her hands clenched in her lap, "That was a bit mean, Leon."

"A bit?" James fumed.

Jude sighed heavily; he wasn't ever going to find out what had happened the last quidditch match.


	13. A Beastly Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe him if he said there was some fairy like thing attacking him?

Chapter 13

Jude gazed around the shops at Hogsmeade, watching as some familiar faces entered the pubs or ate some of the treats they had gotten. He had already eaten his sweets and he couldn't get anymore since Emma said it was bad for his health. He and James debated otherwise.

"Emma, I paid good money for this. I just want to finish my chocolates. Is that too much to ask?" James questioned his best female friend while shaking his bag of sweets. "I've already had five of them. How bad is it gonna be if I have the last three?"

Emma rolled her eyes exasperatedly, "Bad. You'll get a stomach ache and ruin your supper. Can't you wait till we have dessert in the Great Hall?"

"The moment of happiness will be over if I don't have it now," James retorted indignantly.

Jude snorted, covering his mouth with his bare hand despite the cold weather, "I really think we should just keep going to the shops. Didn't you want to get broom polish, James?"

"Right, mate," James nodded, shoving his sweets in his coat pocket. "You got your wish, Ems. Now come on. You said you wanted some stuff for your broom too."

Jude exchanged glances with Emma as they followed James to Spintwitches. He was glad they were going there; he needed some stuff for his broom as well. He needed to keep in tip top shape if he wanted to keep being what everyone called the 'Golden Boy'. He didn't know if he liked that name or not; it put a lot of pressure on him. Especially this year since Olivia was on his back about getting the quidditch house cup for her last year.

Just as he was going to follow James and Emma into the shop, he saw something pass in his peripheral vision. He moved his gaze firmly to the darkened alley, trying to see if there really was there, but nothing changed.

"Jude?" Emma called, peeking her head out the door. "Are you coming in? It's getting a bit cold. I know you have some sort of immunity, but not all of us do."

Jude glanced at the alley once more before giving his friend a reassuring smile, "I'll catch up. I just think we passed something shiny. I wanted to get a better look at it. Could be a galleon."

He walked away quickly before Emma could open her mouth to say anything. He made sure his friends were in the shop as he entered the dark passage way. He squinted his eyes, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. So far he could only see bags on the ground that the shop owners threw out.

He was about to give up on trying to find whatever he had thought he had seen until he felt something sweep his legs out from under him, sending him to the floor roughly.

"What the-" He grunted, trying to lift himself up. He yelped when he felt something grab his jacket, picking him up then dropping him to the floor again.

He growled, feeling a familiar roar in his chest. When he heard the fluttering of wings towards him, he shouted, sending out a flare of fire at the creature. The creature screeched indignantly, flying off quickly.

Jude stood from the floor, preparing himself for another attack when he heard " _Aguamenti!_ ". He felt a wave of water hit his back and arm, startling him out of his staring contest with the darkening sky.

He glanced down at his wet arm before turning around to the end of the alley. He found James and Emma staring at him, disbelief written on their faces. He safely assumed it was Emma who sprayed him with the water since she was the only one out of the two with her wand out.

He grinned sheepishly, "Would you believe me if I said there was some kind of fairy thing out here attacking me?"


	14. Discussions On Beasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He really just wanted to know what was going on.

Chapter 14

Jude groaned irritably as he sat across from his friends in the library. It was one thing to ask questions about the incident at Hogsmeade, it was another to drag him out of bed, tie him to a chair, and threaten his trusty Lightningbolt if he didn't talk about it.

He gritted his teeth as he felt the ropes dig into his arms, "I told you, I don't know what happened. There was some kind of fairy thing, it attacked me and I retaliated. I don't know how I got on fire. It happened a bit too fast."

Both James and Emma exchanged glances before Emma sighed, "Jude, the flame was on your arm. You didn't get burned by it and you didn't seem bothered by it. We're just concerned."

"And very curious," James added as he put the broomstick on the table with a reassuring grin. "The 2 years we've known each other, fire has always been your friend. The only time it hasn't been was when you said your parents died which is how you got the scars on your back. Why is that?"

Jude rolled his eyes; he hated this stupid interrogation. "I don't know," He enunciated, straining against the ropes. "I told you I know nothing about my heritage. Unlike your dad, James, I'm not famous. I didn't take out a dark lord when I was a year old, and no one who knew my father or mother has spoken about them. Maybe it's my fault, maybe I should try harder to look for them, maybe I should find out why Lazarus is coming after me, but what I know now is what I've known since we've met; nothing!"

He could feel the familiar roar in his chest starting to growl and he had to close his eyes and take deep breaths to calm himself down. Every time he felt that roar, someone always got hurt. If there was one thing he never wanted, it was his friends hurt. That and he really didn't want the library to spontaneously combust.

"Jude?" He heard Emma say hesitantly.

He opened his eyes slowly, frown still deeply etched on his lips, "What, Emma?"

"Mate," James cleared his throat, scratching his head. "You burned the ropes."

Startled, Jude moved his gaze to his chest only to see the ropes now lying in his lap. The ends of the ropes were charred black and smoke was barely noticeable but there. "Merlin," He breathed in disbelief. "I didn't even know I was doing that. I-I-"

"Jude, Jude," Emma walked up to him, rubbing his arm in an attempt to soothe him. "It's okay. Look, let's just talk about what you saw in the alley."

Jude nodded jerkily as he and Emma took the ropes off, "Yeah okay." He swallowed and continued, "Since the Quidditch World Cup, I've been seeing beasts everywhere. I don't know why, and I don't know if Lazarus has something to do with it but I know I've seen them."

"Why didn't you tell us, mate?" James questioned, frowning irritably. "Don't you trust us?"

The blue eyed boy shook his head, scoffing, "James, this isn't a matter of trust. I didn't tell you because I didn't know if I was actually seeing them. I'm scared, don't you understand?"

"Jude-"

He gritted his teeth, running his hands through his already messed up hair, "I'm so scared. Scared of what Lazarus is going to do and scared of what you guys will go through because of me. I didn't tell you because I didn't want it to be real."

The two across from him were quiet for a beat before Emma brought out a familiar book. She opened it to a page that had been bookmarked and presented it to Jude, "What was the fairy like thing that attacked you?"

Jude sniffled and took the book from her hands. He scanned the different types of fairies before pointing out the one that he had seen in the alley, "That one. It was a Doxy."

"Nasty buggers," James muttered as he scanned the book with his friends. "They're poisonous too. Good thing you didn't touch it."

"No," Jude replied, staring at the picture of the beast. "It just knocked me down then the fire came."

Emma sighed, nodding, "Okay, Jude. We're gonna need you to show us all the beasts you've seen. It can't be a coincidence that you're the only one that's seen them. It might be Lazarus."

"Someone has to control them," James put in thoughtfully. "There's no way so many of them could be near Hogwarts without someone telling them what to do. It has to be Lazarus if that Doxy specifically went after you."

Jude bit his lip, contemplating, "But how? Lazarus can't get that near Hogwarts and I know some of the beasts have been in here. There was the incident at the quidditch match against Hufflepuff, and I'm sure I've seen some at night. They're everywhere and I don't know how they got here."

"We'll think of something," Emma stated as they poured over the book. They spend most of their day trying to come up with plans, ideas, and theories on what was going on with the beasts and what Lazarus was trying this year.


	15. Final Quidditch Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had to win this one for sure.

Chapter 15

Jude exhaled anxiously, his grip tightening on his Lightningbolt as he heard the muffled cheers of the students outside. He stood in the Gryffindor locker room, his eyes glazed and his mind everywhere and nowhere.

There was too much pressure, and usually he was fine with that. He had helped win the quidditch house cup two years in a row, but this was Olivia's last year; she really wanted the house cup for her last year. 3rd time's a charm, she would say.

They were going against Ravenclaw; the last match of the year. Everyone was going to be there, everyone was going to either be rooting for him or rooting for 7th year Damien Stephenson. He got another talking to from Louis who told him that he had gone against Stephenson before and beat him, he also already went against Beckett who was also a 7th year.

He shouldn't be afraid.

And he wasn't. Necessarily.

"Listen up, you lot." Olivia's voice pulled him out of his reverie. He snapped his eyes up to her, straightening and tilting his chin high; he had to look presentable or else. He didn't want to know what the captain would do to him.

"Today is our last match. If we win this, we win the house cup again," Olivia stated to her blank faced teammates. "Now I know we've won it twice already, but this is my last year. I've seen you guys run up and down this pitch with all your power. I know what you're capable of, so please don't mind me when I say when we win that cup."

Her lips twitched upwards as she continued, "Porter." Her dark eyes twinkled in amusement when Jude jumped, startled and almost dropping his broomstick. When she had his attention, she nodded, "I know I've put some pressure on you, but it's not all on you. You may end the match when you catch the snitch, but it's up to all of us to win."

She inhaled deeply, throwing her fist in the air, "ARE WE READY TEAM?" She bellowed, hoping to wake her teammates up as well.

"YEAH!" The others shouted back energetically.

"THEN LET'S GO OUT THERE AND WIN!"

They rushed out of the locker room, cheering as they got on their broomsticks. Jude's ears rang as he heard the deafening cheers coming from the students in the stands. He shakily pushed up his glasses and swallowed dryly; he had to focus and stay calm. He exhaled, hoping to still his jittering body.

" _Hello, folks. Yes, it's me; Adrian Conners. Back by popular demand; meaning Professor Alexander really wanted some amusement for this last game,_ " Conners announced into the mic, happily ignoring Professor Alexander's glare.

" _Today marks the last match of the year, and, sadly, the last match for our dear Gryffindor captain Olivia Wood. We will all miss you, Wood._ " A sad yet energetic cheer went through the Gryffindor stand. Olivia smiled back, giving everyone a wave.

" _Since we already introduced Wood, who you know is the Gryffindor captain and keeper, let's proceed with the other team members. For the chasers we have 6th year Kelli Sharp, and 3rd years James Potter and Emma Thorne. Let's hear it for them._ "

The crowd cheered loudly once more. James smirked, pushing his glasses up smugly while Emma blushed at the attention she was getting from everyone.

" _For the beaters we have 6th year Simon Boone, and 5th year Louis Weasley; the most amazing beater Gryffindor has seen in ages. Seriously ladies, my mate is single and ready to-_ "

" _Conners, save it for the after party,_ " Professor Alexander cut in tersely.

Conners laughed, waving his hand in hopes to calm her down, " _Right, right, Professor. And last but not least, the seeker, the boy who you've all cursed and cheered for; 3rd year Juuuuuuuuuuuuude Porter!_ "

Jude buried his bright red face into his arms as the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff stands chanted, "POR-TER! POR-TER! POR-TER!"

" _Aww,_ " Conners cooed into the mic with Professor Alexander giggling next to him. " _Looks like we got Porter all blushed up. Sorry, mate._ "

Jude waved his hand embarrassedly, garnering many laughs from teachers and students alike. James was not helping as he kept poking him teasingly.

Conners chuckled, " _Now, onto Ravenclaw. The seeker and captain of the team; 7th year Damien Stephenson. For the chasers, they have 4th year Joffrey King, 5th year Amy Wyler, and 7th year Lillian Castillo. For the beaters, they have 3rd year Nicholas Benson and 4th year Robert Mattheson. And for their keeper, it is 5th year Kevin Simms._ "

The Ravenclaw students cheered for their team. Jude saw Stephenson glare at him, his hands tightening on his broomstick and his lips curling into a snarl. The blue eyed boy swallowed in fear, his heart rate increasing and his hands beginning to shake again.

He wanted the match to start already.

His prayers were answered when Neville gave the instructions and let the balls loose onto the field. James, Kelli, and Emma flew around the pitch, easily catching the quaffle from the Ravenclaw chasers.

Jude tapped his fingers on the broom as his eyes zipped around the pitch, hoping to find the snitch already. He bit his lip apprehensively; he had to relax. He had never lost a game before and if he lost this one, he would hate himself forever. There was no way he was going to let his nerves get the better of him.

Cheering from the crowd interrupted his nervous thought path. Conners whooped into the mic, " _And Sharp gives Gryffindor 10 points in the lead. Get a move on, Ravenclaw. These guys really want to get their cup._ "

" _Don't rile them, Conners,_ " Emilie scolded while Professor Harmon's shoulders shook from her restrained laughter.

Jude's lips twitched upwards in amusement before he refocused on keeping his eyes and ears open for any sight or sound that the snitch was nearby. It was going to be a long while, he thought to himself since the game barely started.

It wasn't until the Gryffindor chasers kept them in the lead with 120 to Ravenclaw's 70 did Jude hear the fluttering wings of the snitch.

He shot off towards the sound, maneuvering past the Ravenclaw beaters and Stephenson who realized where he was going and shot off after him.

" _And Porter has found the snitch. It looks like it's gonna be neck and neck between Porter and Stephenson. Speaking of Stephenson, remember when he got Ravenclaw disqualified two years ago for trying to kick Porter off his bro-_ "

" _CONNERS!_ "

" _…Sorry, Professor._ "

Jude gritted his teeth angrily when Stephenson forcefully pushed himself into the younger male's broomstick. He knew what the Ravenclaw seeker was trying to do, but he wasn't going to let him over power him. He was going to end this match and win the cup.

Unfortunately for him, Stephenson had longer arms. When they both stretched out to get the snitch, Stephenson had a good few inches over him.

The blue eyed boy growled, trying to search his mind for a plan. He smirked, shooting himself above Stephenson. Like planned, it startled the Ravenclaw seeker, causing his arm to falter and fall down a bit.

Jude used the distraction to throw himself forward off his broom. It was almost like slow motion as he fell towards the snitch. He caught the winged ball, giving Stephenson a wink as he fell towards the pitch.

Time came back to him once he landed on his broomstick once more and Stephenson flew past him without the snitch in his hand.

With a grin so bright, Jude lifted his hand, showing everyone the snitch that sat firmly in his palm.

A beat passed before cheers throughout the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff stands erupted. Conners shouted into the mic happily, " _And there you have it, folks! Jude Porter caught the snitch with an amazing move and helps Gryffindor win the match with 270 points! Looks like Wood really is going home with the cup on her last year! 3 cheers for Porter!_ "

"POR-TER! POR-TER! POR-TER!" The Gryffindor students chanted happily.

"Whoa!" Jude yelped when he felt himself being lifted from the ground. He laughed, feeling his chest lighten at his teammates ecstatic shouts.

This was the feeling he wanted. He really loved making other people happy. He also liked quidditch, so it was win-win situation all in all.


	16. Quidditch After Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun was about to begin.

Chapter 16

The quidditch after parties were ones that Jude had been to before. Fred liked to throw them after every game they won since he actually liked winning. His second year, Louis decided to take Fred's place and threw a party after they had won the quidditch cup. Now, it was Olivia who wanted to throw the party for winning the cup on her final year.

No one was going to complain about that.

Jude watched as Olivia knocked back a shot of firewhisky with some other 7th years. Louis was looking on in envy as he sipped his party punch with the rest of the partygoers under 17. Simon snickered when Kelli smacked the Weasley over his head to stop his sulking.

The Gryffindor seeker grinned into his cup of punch amusedly at the sight. He glanced over at James when he heard the other boy groan irritably. He furrowed his brow and followed his best friend's gaze to find Emma and Leon talking very closely to another.

He frowned lightly, "Well, I guess he must've had something good to talk about."

"Whatever," James grumbled, shoving a few chips in his mouth. "She can hang out with whoever she wants. I don't care anymore."

"James."

"What?" The Potter boy demanded sharply.

Jude sighed, setting his cup down on one of the tables. He turned to James, giving him his full attention, "James, have you ever thought why you're so angry whenever Emma's with Adams?"

The other boy shrugged nonchalantly, "Because he's a git and I think he's bad for her. Who cares what grades he gets; he's still a twat."

Jude snorted, nudging his friend's shoulder, "Seriously, mate. You didn't really have much of a problem with Adams our first year. You even let him sit with us when he was helping me with my homework."

"That's because it was too much for you."

The blue eyed boy waved his hand dismissively, "That's beside the point. You had no problem with him sitting around with us, but once he started talking to Emma, you glare at him every chance you get. It's been a year now. Don't you think there's something you're not realizing?"

James gave his best friend a side eye before huffing and crossing his arms, "I still don't know what you're talking about."

Jude exhaled exasperatedly, knowing that he wasn't going to get past James' defenses just yet. The corners of his lips curved up when he saw a familiar face approach them, "Hey, Hugo. You having fun?"

Hugo nodded a bit meekly as he gazed around, "I was just looking for Lily. I'm a bit surprised they let me and her come since we're only first years." He grinned widely, "Anyways, I wanted to say congrats to you two. That was some great playing out there. I can't wait to join the team."

"You're gonna join next year, right?" Jude piped up. "I mean, with Olivia graduating this year, we're out of a captain and a keeper. James said you're a great keeper and next year you'll be eligible to play."

James grinned, "Yeah, Hugo. How 'bout it?"

"Gosh," Hugo blushed, his freckles almost lighting up with the rest of his face. "I don't know if I'm that good to replace someone like Olivia Wood, but I'll try my best next year. Hopefully, Lily will try out too."

James nodded smugly, "She better. Though she may only be a reserve next year, she'll be the best person trying out for the team. I taught her everything she knows."

Hugo and Jude chuckled. The redheaded boy grinned once more, making his way back to the other meek first years, "I better get going. See you guys."

The two older boys waved goodbye. It didn't even cross their mind to ask where Lily had gone when Olivia shouted for a drinking contest, garnering everyone's attention from every little conversation or snack.

The next morning, they wish they would've known where Lily had gone.


	17. Missing Lily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He should've known all good things came to an end.

Chapter 17

_Giggles filled the room. Joyous, beautiful giggles that could only come from a happy, loved baby. A man's chuckle was heard, "You really like fireworks, don't you, Jude?"_

_Babbling came next._

_"A man with words. I like it," Came the man's now amused voice. "Now come on. No more fireworks. It's time for bed." The baby whined. "No, Jude. Bed."_

_Whining._

_"Jude."_

_Jude._

"Jude!" 

Jude snapped his eyes open, his eyes darting around the room until they landed on the blurry face of Emma. He sat up, rubbing his tired eyes, "What are you doing here, Emma? What's wrong?" Emma didn't usually come into the boys' dormitory unless it was an emergency.

Emma gazed at him, her eyes filled with sorrow and unshed tears, "Jude…Lily was taken last night."

His heart seized as his blood froze in his veins. No way. Not Lily. She had nothing to do with anything; why take her? Was it because she was James' sister? Why?

He swallowed roughly and grabbed his glasses from his nightstand, "Where's James?" There was no way he was calm about this, and since he didn't hear him cursing or see him pacing, he assumed he was outside somewhere.

"Headmaster Flitwick's office with Albus. They're trying to figure out if she just wandered off during the party and didn't know her way back. No ghosts have reported on finding her though."

"We have to find her," Jude stated firmly, getting out of bed. He shook his head and pressed the heels of his hand into his eyes, "We have to. She's gone because Lazarus knows she's related to James."

"But that means he knows we'll look for her."

Jude stared at her wide eyed, "Of course we will. She's James' sister, and our friend. I know it's a trap but I don't care. I'm going to find her."

Emma turned away as he got changed, "I'm going too, and so is James. You know you're never going to do this alone."

"I know," Jude mumbled as he threw his tie over his neck. "Now come on. We have to get to James and come up with a plan."

The two of them ran out of the boys' dormitory and shoved their way through many other students in the common room. Once they got to the hallway towards the headmaster's office, they slowed when they saw Albus and James walking out.

"James," Jude called, swerving Albus with Emma and walking towards the older Potter boy. "I think I know where Lily is."

Both James and Emma stared at him wide eyed. "You do?" James asked in disbelief. "You don't even know that for sure." He shook his head, clenching his jaw tensely, "Look Jude, I know you think you can figure out all of Lazarus' moves, but you can't be certain he has Lily in the castle. She's my sister; I'm not gonna settle on just thinking. I need to know, and so does my family."

"I know," Jude replied, holding out his hands in hopes to calm his best friend. "I know, James. Believe me, I want to find her just as much as you do. I'm not lying when I say that Lazarus is somewhere in this castle with Lily."

"And how do you know that?" Emma inquired.

The blue eyed boy inhaled lightly, "Those beasts, the ones that kept coming after me, you said that they couldn't attack anyone in Hogwarts unless someone is controlling them from the inside. Now I know that it's a stretch since we haven't seen one inside the castle for a while, but…"

He paused, biting his lip before continuing, "One night, I couldn't sleep so I went down to the bathroom to pee. I saw something when I was coming out; it was dark, but it had red eyes. I followed it to this wall where it slipped inside. I was able to get in, and I found a chamber in there. I think it was holding something. But the fact that the beast went in there must mean whoever is controlling them is doing it from inside that room."

"That is a bit of a stretch," James mumbled, crossing his arms. He sighed heavily, shaking his head, "I don't know. If we go in there, what makes you think we can take on what's on the other side?"

"Because I'll be going with you."

The three of them stiffened in fear at the sound of the new, older voice. They turned slowly to find Professor Harmon staring down at them with a small smirk.

"H-Hi, Professor," Emma greeted nervously.

Harmon waved her off, "Look, if you want to find Lily, then by all means go for it. But, as a teacher who cares for her students, I can't let you go by yourselves. You know what happened the last two times you three went to investigate a problem by yourselves."

They knew all too well unfortunately.

"So, I'll be going too. Besides, you need some manpower in there," Harmon grinned, spinning her wand through her fingers. "Now, what is the main plan? When do you want to go, and how do you want to get this done?"

Jude let loose the breath he had been holding when the professor showed up, "With no bloodshed, if that's possible."

"I don't think it is," James commented, putting a hand to his head. "If there really are more beasts in that chamber, we're going to be looking at a few battles on our hands. Plus if we do go up against Lazarus."

Harmon nodded firmly, "Right. We do this the old fashioned way then. We go in wands blazing and take out whatever we can. We don't know what we're dealing with, but we can sure as heck beat whatever beast they throw at us, right?"

"We can try," Emma muttered.

Jude gripped his wand tightly, his eyes hard with determination, "We are going to get Lily back. We'll fight Lazarus and those bloody buggers with all we have."


	18. Chamber of Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio and their professors decided to go into the house of horrors to find Lily.

Chapter 18

They spent the rest of the day in Professor Harmon’s office, trying to come up with a plan to sneak their way past the many teachers patrolling the halls, looking for Lily. Not many knew about the chamber Jude had gone into, but those who did were most likely going to search there or the chamber under the prefect’s bathroom. 

They had to make their move before midnight.

“Is the coast clear?” James whispered to Professor Harmon who had been gazing around every corner and hallway.

“It is now.”

The kids stiffened in fear at the new voice. They slowly turned their heads to find Professor Beckett standing behind them nonchalantly. His dark eyes softened understandingly when his gaze landed on them, “Now I know why you are all doing this; Meghan told me.”

The kids turned their narrowed gaze to their former professor. Meghan only shrugged, “We needed more man power. What better man power than the man who has been teaching you all year about these beasts.”

Beckett nodded with a small smirk, “Exactly. I’m here to help. It’s why I brought this.” He brought out the sorting hat, much to Jude’s confusion.

“What’s that for?” Jude asked, befuddled.

James grinned a bit, “Only a true Gryffindor can bring the sword of Gryffindor out of the sorting hat. These are the last two things from the Founders of Hogwarts and they both belong to Godric Gryffindor.”

“Plus, the sword is laced with basilisk venom,” Emma added, excitement flowing through her multi colored eyes. “No beast would be able to stay alive after a cut from it.”

Beckett chuckled, “That’s why I brought it. Now, let’s get moving. We don’t know how much time Lily has.”

That sobered the youngsters up. Jude nodded promptly, “Let’s get going.” He brought out his wand, “ _Lumos._ ” The others lit their wands as well.

He led them down the path he had become familiar with. Though he never went to that chamber again, he began to scan the way towards it when he would make his way to class or the Great Hall. It wasn’t difficult to memorize, and by the 5th time of letting his eyes wander, he already knew the path like the back of his hand.

He halted just a few ways away from the Great Hall. He stared at the blank wall in front of him. It didn’t seem out of the ordinary, but if he hadn’t seen that Lethifold race underneath the small opening in the door, he would’ve still believed this was just a regular wall.

“This it?” James whispered as he came up to the wall as well. He furrowed his brow, “It doesn’t look like a door.”

“It’s not,” Jude shook his head numbly. “It’s like a passage way leading into a chamber. It opened when I put my hand on the wall.”

Meghan let out a shuddering breath, sharing a wary glance with Beckett, “You lot do know what’s in there, right?”

Jude turned to her sharply, “What? I…” He trailed off, remembering the coffin he had seen the last time he entered. “I didn’t know what to make of it.”

“Porter,” Beckett shook his head apprehensively. “That’s Voldemort’s resting chamber. It’s where they left his body after he died.”

A wave of cold dread and realization washed over Jude. That was why he was led to the chamber. Lazarus was probably going to try and kill him that night, but the voice had stopped him. He still couldn’t pinpoint the voice, but he was eternally grateful it had stopped him now.

James swallowed back his fear, straightening up, “It doesn’t matter. My sister is most likely in there and I’m letting anything hold me back.” He glanced at his friend, “Jude, do you know how to open the door?”

Jude bit his lip, contemplating before placing his hand on the wall. The door scraped against the floor as it opened for the group. Emma gripped James’ hand as the three of them walked into the chamber. Meghan and Beckett exchanged glances once more before following the kids.

They gazed around the chamber, noticing the barren area. It didn’t seem all that big, so if Lazarus had Lily in here, they would most likely find her quicker than they anticipated.

Something scurrying past them halted the three students in front. “What was that?” Emma breathed in fear, her grip on James’ hand tightening.

Jude licked his dry lips, “I don’t know.” He slowly moved the light on his wand towards the corner where the thing had gone.

Everyone’s eyes widened at the sight of many beasts in front of them, collectively growling and approaching slowly. The group took a step back, only to hear growling on the other end. The beasts came in all shapes and sizes, but from the looks of it, they were all hungry for a fight.

“We can’t take these on,” Beckett whispered, his hands shaking fiercely.

“Why not?” Jude hissed, feeling the familiar roar in his chest start up. If they wanted to fight, he’d give them one.

Beckett clenched his trembling jaw, “These are all Class 4 or 5 beasts. It’s suicide if we take them on.” He suppressed a whimper when his eyes caught a werewolf staring right at him.

“My sister’s in here somewhere,” James replied through gritted teeth. “I’m not leaving until we get her back. I don’t care if I have to fight these things. I’m going to get her back.”

Jude nodded slightly, “I’m with James. We’re not leaving until Lazarus is dealt with and Lily is back with us.”

Emma wiped her tears, nodding as well, “I’m not leaving either.”

“Don’t be a chicken, Beckett,” Meghan gave a strangled chuckle. “We can take them on. Besides, he’s only got one of the Class 4 and 5. It’s not really much of an army.”

“ _That’s what you think._ ” The students stiffened at the familiar, sinister voice. “ _It was very nice knowing you, Professor Harmon. Unfortunately, this is your end. Attack!_ ”

“ _Stupefy!_ ” Emma shot at the sphinx.

“ _Depulso!_ ” James blasted his spell at the kappa.

“ _Duro!_ ” Meghan hit the troll.

“ _Arania Exumai!_ ” Beckett shot his spell at acromantula.

Jude dodged an attack from the nundu before shouting, “ _Confringo!_ ”

Most of the fight consisted of the humans dodging the attacks of the beasts. It was harder to avoid the werewolf, chimera, nundu, manticore, quintaped, troll, acromantula, kappa, and sphinx by themselves.

Luckily, Professor Harmon took out the troll with nicely placed hexes. Professor Beckett put his brain to good use and took out the sphinx before it could get to Emma. Unluckily, they still had Class 5 beasts circling around them.

The manticore growled as it moved around them with the other beasts. Jude tightened his grip on his wand, wincing at the sting coming from his ankle. The stupid nundu actually managed to clip him when it attacked.

He took a quick stock of the others. Meghan looked fine, if not a bit harried. Beckett still seemed frightened but was trying his best to hold back his fear. Emma’s hand was bleeding, but other than that she looked fine. James was holding onto his side, and his hand was slowly becoming drenched in his blood. If they didn’t hurry, all of them would succumb to exhaustion or die.

Before any of them could react, the manticore pounced on Beckett, slamming its body into the DADA professor’s and throwing the two of them onto the other side of the chamber. The struggles and screams of Beckett could be heard.

Jude tried to run over to his teacher only to feel a force from the kappa hit his face harshly, throwing him to the ground. He groaned, his sight blurry and cracked; that hit really took him out. He turned onto his stomach where he saw Meghan trying to hold off the werewolf that was biting into her arm.

He had to stop them before could get anyone else. A glance to Emma and James only showed him that they were desperately trying to defend themselves, but they were only getting weaker and weaker by the second.

His eyes moved back towards Beckett. They widened when they caught sight of a shining hilt peeking out of the sorting hat. That was it.

The sword of Gryffindor.


	19. True Gryffindor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A true Gryffindor faces their enemies head on. No matter how reckless it seems. Jude was a true Gryffindor, and he was going to kick Lazarus’ ass.

Chapter 19

To be a true Gryffindor, one had to be brave, to have nerve, to have courage. Gryffindors were the ones who went into harm’s way to save their friend. It was in their blood, and it was why they were Gryffindors at heart. Jude had met many people sorted into Gryffindor who liked to think they were brave, but they never found themselves in a situation like this.   
Now it was his time to show that he was a true Gryffindor.

Jude scrambled towards the sorting hat, dodging the nundu’s tail, and pulled the sword out fully. It felt a bit heavy, but it also somehow felt right; like it was meant to be in his hands. He wondered if others felt like this.

He knew he had to act quickly at this moment and strike true. He ran towards the manticore that was intent on tearing Beckett apart. He swung at the manticore and felt the sword slide through the beast easily, cutting it in half.

He gazed down at Beckett who was seizing with the pain flowing through his system as well as the blood leaving him. With a mental promise to go back to him, he ran at the werewolf attacking Professor Harmon. He shoved the sword into the werewolf’s side with enough power to force it off the professor.

He took the sword out and stabbed it again in its abdomen. Once it stopped moving around the sword, Jude knew it was dead, but he didn’t have time to dwell on that. He didn’t care to anyways.

He ran towards Emma and James who were holding their own against the kappa, nundu, chimera, quintaped, and acromantula. He shoved the sword into the chimera’s mouth when it jumped at him, watching it go straight through its head.

He sliced the kappa out from mid air, effectively killing it and paying no mind to the blood that splattered on his face and glasses. He stabbed the quintaped in its eye, twisting the sword when it only cried out in pain. When it was finally went limp, dead on the floor, he took the sword out with a grunt and sliced through the acromantula that came at him.

He took the sword back and faced the last beast; the nundu. The two circled each other, their eyes never straying. The beast must’ve realized that Jude was the real challenge in the chamber. If not, it would’ve still been after James and Emma.

Jude readied the sword just as the nundu made to pounce. When it jumped, Jude sliced its head off on instinct. The body fell to the floor with a sickening thumb while the head rolled away into a dark corner of the chamber as blood sprayed everywhere.

The blue eyed boy gazed down at the now bloody sword. He had never had practice swinging any kind of weapon other than his wand and a bat, but swinging the sword felt like second nature to him. He had even been able to kill each beast single handedly.

What was going on?

“Is everyone alright?” Jude asked, exhaling harshly. He gripped the sword in his hands tighter to stop the tremors in his fingers.

Meghan grimaced as she held onto her bleeding arm, “As good as we can be, Jude.”

Jude turned his eyes to Emma and James who dragged Beckett towards Meghan. The DADA professor was bleeding profusely from the deep gashes and tears on his torso and abdomen. His whole body and face was bloodstained, and Jude would be surprised if he made it out of this chamber alive.

He had to make sure they all did.

“Go,” Jude whispered thickly. “All of you. Leave.”

James stared at him incredulously as Emma tried a healing spell on Beckett, “Are you crazy, mate? We can’t leave you here and I’m not leaving Lily in here with that mad man with her.” He grunted, holding his side as the wound on his side still bled. 

Jude wiped the blood off his face, glancing at James’ injury, “I’ll get Lily. You go to the infirmary with Professor Harmon and Beckett. See if you can save their lives. They need it more than they need to be in here.”

“Hey,” James growled, gripping his wand tightly in his other hand. “Don’t you dare say that my sister-”

“We’re not all leaving, James!” Jude shouted over him, garnering Emma’s attention. “I need you to leave so you can live to see your sister. Do you really think you can take Lazarus on in your condition? We’ve all fought him in better forms but he’s always gotten away. I’m going to do all I can to get him and save your sister.”

James glared back at him before nodding reluctantly, “Okay, fine.” He pocketed his wand before holding up his hand. Jude gripped his hand tightly. “You make sure to get Lily, and you both come out alive, okay?”

Jude nodded firmly before letting his friend’s hand go. He reacted quickly and caught Emma around the waist with his free arm when she threw her arms around his neck. His heart felt heavy in his chest when he felt her tears on his neck.

“Please be safe, Jude,” The redhead whispered into his shoulder, gripping him tightly. “Both of you; you and Lily.”

Jude gave a small smile, “I will, Emma.” He pulled away, patting her arm reassuringly, “Just make sure the 4 of you get to the infirmary. You all need it.”

James swallowed before giving a nod, “We’ll see you on the other side, mate. Kick Lazarus’ ass for me.”

“Will do,” Jude replied with a light chuckle. He turned his gaze to the professors who were trying hard to stay awake and not succumb to their wounds. “Will you guys be alright?”

Meghan huffed a laugh, one of her eyes pinched closed as she gripped her bloody arm, “It’s just a flesh wound.”

Beckett spoke as best as he could through the harsh pain, “Do your best, Porter. You can beat him.”

“Thank you,” Jude mumbled. He gave his friends a nod before walking deeper into the chamber.

A true Gryffindor faces their enemies head on. No matter how reckless it seems. Jude was a true Gryffindor, and he was going to kick Lazarus’ ass.


	20. Saving Lily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He made a promise to James that he would bring Lily back safe and sound, and he was going to do just that.

Chapter 20

The chamber was quiet. The only sounds Jude heard as he walked as the sound of his heart pounding in his ears and his footsteps that were muted to others. He didn’t know where exactly he was going, but at least he knew the others had left. He could be grateful for that. A part of him told him he would need their help, but he knew their lives were more important now more than ever. James wanted to find his sister, but he was already suffering from a wound that would only serve to slow him down. 

It was Jude’s turn to go through this alone for once.

He knew he had gotten close when he felt his scar burn. He gripped the sword tightly and kept his steps firm. He clenched his jaw tensely when he heard clapping. He glared at Lazarus who stared back at him as he stood next to Voldemort’s coffin. Lily was unconscious on top of it, but other than that, she didn’t look injured.

Lazarus stopped his clapping and chuckled, “I have to hand it to you, Jude. You certainly outdid yourself. I didn’t want those beasts to kill you, but I was surprised when you killed them so easily.” He glanced down at the sword distastefully, “Figures you’d have that sword.”

“This isn’t the time for small talk, Lazarus,” Jude stated lowly. “Give me Lily, or I swear you I will fight you to my last breath.”

The blond man sobered, narrowing his eyes, “Do you really think you can beat me? And do you think I’d let you die before I could have your blood?”

“Do you think I’d let you live after you took my friend?” Jude retorted angrily, the roar in his chest getting stronger. He slowly walked towards the villain, “I don’t care what you want with me. You can fight me all you want, but if you bring my friends into this, you are just begging for me to kill you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Lazarus sneered, readying his wand.

Jude ran at him, swinging the sword at him. He wasn’t surprised when the older male dodged; he knew for a fact Lazarus had very quick reflexes. He ducked under the curse the other male shot at him and kept slashing the sword at the man. All he needed was one hit; that’s what Emma said. The sword was laced with basilisk venom; one cut on someone and they’d get infected with it.

Unfortunately for Jude, he was already running on a bit of fumes, so he couldn’t bring himself up when Lazarus hit him with a stunning spell that sent him to the ground, the sword flying to the other side of the chamber.

Lazarus jumped on him quickly, keeping one foot on the younger male’s knee and one arm to hold his wrists in place while his free hand went behind his back. He was strong for someone who looked a bit too scrawny, and Jude was already losing whatever adrenaline that was pumping through his veins.

Jude’s eyes widened in a bit of fright when the blond man brought out a dagger. He wished he had thought the plan through more. Maybe then he wouldn’t be at the wrong end of a knife.

“Gah!” He yelped painfully when Lazarus plunged the dagger in his abdomen. He gritted his teeth, trying to take his mind off the agonizing pain flowing through his body and ripped one of his hands free from Lazarus’ hold.

He grabbed Lazarus’ face, feeling the rumbling in his chest roar. Lazarus screamed loudly as the smell of burning flesh filled the room. He fell off of Jude, holding onto his burnt face as he seized on the ground.  


Jude grunted forcefully, trying to get up. He shakily stood and got the sword of Gryffindor before making his way to Lily. He exhaled shakily, holding onto his bleeding side and making sure the dagger hadn’t been taken out despite the pain it was causing.

“You little brat!” Lazarus yelled outrageously, holding his face as he stood. 

He rushed towards Jude who had reacted on instinct by stabbing him in his side with the sword. The blond croaked brokenly, a bit of blood spilling from his lips before he pulled out the dagger from Jude. Jude shouted in pain as the older male fell to the floor; whether he was dead or unconscious, Jude didn’t know and he didn’t care. He needed to get Lily out of there.

The blue eyed boy placed the sword in one of his belt loops before reaching over to Lily. He weakly put her arm over his shoulder and began to slowly walk out of the chamber. He paid no mind to the blood dripping down his back and legs. He promised James he’d get Lily out, and that’s what he was going to do.

He didn’t know how much distance was left, but he knew he was pretty close when he found the bodies of the fallen beasts. Just a few more feet and he’d make it. His vision was blurry even through his broken glasses. His footsteps were sluggish, and he felt a bit cold for the first time ever in his life.

He breathed lightly in relief when he found the exit to the chamber. He placed his bloody hand on it and almost fell forward when it opened quickly. He shifted Lily’s arm on him and continued walking out.

“Jude!” He blinked slowly when a red blur came up to him. His slack mind realized it was Emma, but he couldn’t open his mouth to ask what she was still doing there. She should’ve been in the infirmary with the others. They needed all the support they could get.

He felt Emma’s shaky but warm hands on his face, and he felt his body go limp after that. He could hear her in the distance; she was saying that he needed to hold onto something. That she was going to get help for him and Lily.

He didn’t know anymore. He just really wanted to go to sleep.


	21. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't all his fault. That's what he told himself.

Chapter 21

_“Jude, I’m going to sing you a song, okay? It’s one your aunt taught me. Do you wanna hear it?”_

_Babbling was the reply he got._

_An amused chuckle, “Of course that would be your answer. Come on, let me sing it for you.” A throat was cleared._

_“Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song, and make it better. Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better. Hey Jude, don’t be afraid. You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin, then you begin to make it better.”_

_The soft singing stopped. “Did you like it?”_

_Cooing then ensued._

_A laugh came again, “Why thank you. I take pride in my singing voice. Only your mom has heard me singing, so you’re the second. You should feel honored.”_

_More cooing._

_“Oh okay, I’ll go again.”_

“…and anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain; don’t carry the world up on your shoulder,” Jude whispered in his sleep.

Emma stood from her seat quickly, moving towards her friend’s bed, “Jude, are you awake? Can you hear me?”

She bent her head down to listen when she saw him lips moving. She furrowed her brow when she heard, “For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.”

The red head smiled when she recognized the lyrics, “Hey Jude by the Beatles.” She grabbed his warm hand and rubbed it lightly, “Jude, are you awake?”

She watched as Jude’s eyes slowly fluttered open. His blue eyes darted around the room before his body relaxed on the bed when he realized he was in the infirmary; the ceiling was very familiar nowadays.

Jude swallowed dryly, squeezing Emma’s hand as he turned to her, “Where-” He croaked, bringing a hand to rub his throat. “Where’s Lily? And James?”

Emma gave him a soft smile, “James is sleeping in the bed next to yours.” She turned her head, her smile widening at the slumbering boy whose sister was cuddled up to him. She turned back to him, “Lily is here as well. She’s okay, thanks to you.”

“That’s good,” Jude whispered, wincing when he shifted too much on the bed. He brought his free hand up to his abdomen as he spoke, “What about the professors?”

At that, Emma’s smile faded as her eyes watered at the news she had gotten that morning before Jude awoke, “Jude, Professor…” She paused, exhaling shakily as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Professor Harmon is okay despite that she now has to live her life as a werewolf every full moon, but Professor Beckett…”

Jude sighed heavily, his eyes watering as well, “He didn’t make it, did he?” He clenched his jaw at the shake of her head. 

He had figured the man wasn’t going to make it, but he hoped and prayed that they would make it in time. It was all for nothing, but at least Professor Harmon was still alive despite the new lycanthropy she now had to deal with.

He squeezed Emma’s hand, “Help me get up?” He winced with a grunt as he sat up. The wound wasn’t there anymore, but the soreness of his abdomen was a bit too much for him to handle.

“Should we get going?” He asked, rubbing his abdomen in hopes to soothe the ache.

Emma nodded with a small smile, “Of course. Let me just wake James up and we can go to the Great Hall. I know you must be starving.”

Jude smiled back, “You know me so well.”

They had woken James and Lily up a moment later. The Potter children thanked Jude profusely for helping bring Lily back. When asked about where Professor Harmon was, Madam Pomfrey explained that the young professor was at St. Mungo’s being treated for her bite.

There was only a few days left until the last day of school which gave the trio and Lily more time to recover from the whole chamber incident.

On the last day of school, Jude sat with his friends, ignoring Carlos who was very insistent that he take his treacle tart to make him feel better, and listened to Headmaster Flitwick speak on how much he had loved this year and everything he helped kids learn.

“And now,” Flitwick cleared his throat with a smile. “Before I go on to what house has won the cup this year, I will inform you that Professor Harmon has been admitted to St. Mungo’s for reasons we cannot discuss.”

Murmurs began spreading across the room as people questioned why the professor was in the hospital; it must’ve been serious but how serious? It’s not like professors were doing the Triwizard Tournament.

Flitwick sighed, “We have also lost Professor Beckett in a horrible accident. He will be missed.”

“That’s another one,” Louis muttered with a roll of his eyes. “I guess the curse is back. That’s just great.”

Jude glanced at his blankly before moving his gaze back to the headmaster when he started speaking again, “With much consideration, I have made an adjustment on who has won the house cup this year. While Hufflepuff was originally first, with Jude Porter’s brave act on saving Lily Potter, something no one else did or knew where she was, I will give Gryffindor 500 points making them the winners of the house cup.”

The students and teachers cheered happily at the news. Jared shook Jude’s shoulder excitedly with a wide grin while others told Lily they were glad she was back. Jude simply sighed, going back to his meal.

Yes, he was happy they had one, but he wished it didn’t have to come at the cost of Beckett’s death and Meghan’s lycanthropy. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but he knew it wasn’t his entire fault; he didn’t ask for their help, they had volunteered. 

It wasn’t his fault, he repeated to himself. It wasn’t his fault.

At least, he didn’t want to think it was his fault.


	22. Not the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jude would've liked for it to be the end, but he just knew it wasn't.

Chapter 22

Jude watched the familiar scenery through the window of the train. The ride had mostly been quiet with Emma going over her schedule for next year and James doing last adjustments to the new map. The last on it was the names for each other. They promised to practice their patronus during the break, and try to become animagus. 

Honestly, the trio would be lying if they said they weren’t excited to see what animal would represent them.

“You know we tried going back,” James spoke up, breaking the silence.

Jude dragged his gaze towards him blankly, “What?”

“Into the chamber. We tried going back after we got the professors out.”

“And?”

Emma and James exchanged glances before the red head bit her lip, “It wouldn’t open. We tried putting our hand on it like you did, and we tried using spells, but it wouldn’t budge even a bit.”

“That’s weird,” Jude murmured lowly.

Emma shifted in her seat uneasily, “I also have a question…”

Jude gave a small shrug, “Just go ahead and say it, Emma. It’s not like you can offend me or anything.”

“Lazarus stabbed you and you were bleeding quite profusely. How did you get out?”

Keeping the images of the crazed blond’s eyes out of his mind, he answered, “I stabbed him with the sword.”

“So he’s dead?” James inquired. “I mean, it’s laced with basilisk venom. There’s no way he’d be able to survive that unless they had an antidote for it.”

“He has to be,” Emma said, her green eyes suddenly bright as if the world had just been lifted from her shoulders. She laughed elatedly, “That means no more Lazarus.”

“I guess so,” James grinned, his gaze soft on Emma’s joyful face.

Jude put on a smile for them, “I guess I never thought of that. My mind was going on a whirlwind, and it didn’t come up.”

The rest of the ride was spent with Emma happily rattling off everything they could do now that the threat of the dark wizard was gone. Jude simply turned back to the window, blankly staring out. 

Though he was happy Lazarus was most likely gone, there was something weighing him down, as if the threat had only been neutralized for now. A part of him knew it wasn’t over. It couldn’t be over that easily. 

Yes, Jude stabbed Lazarus with the Sword of Gryffindor, but Lazarus got his blood. Isn’t that what he had wanted in the first place?


End file.
